Errors of Dragons
by searing light dragon
Summary: Sequel to Revival of Trust. After Finca's mystery attacker leaves her for dead, seven years go by - during which her newest daughter is raised upon the laws of the wild. Witness new and old characters come together under the strain of Corruption's darkness and the malice of the newly awakened Arxa.
1. A New Legend

**Chapter 1-A New Legend**

A young black dragoness skimmed over the top of a lake, her purple wings extended as far as they could go. Her purple eyes glanced occasionally over the water but for the most part she continued to fly while looking straight ahead. Her egg had been abandoned before she was born and, as such, she had grown up without any parents to look out for her. For six years and six months she had been alone, on her own. She had seen no other dragons during that time. Rumors had spread about a black dragoness murdering countless of their kind and it worried the young female slightly but she figured she was safe if she stayed on the move. The distant shimmer of land caught the female's attention and she growled pleasantly before flapping her wings to give herself more altitude.

Several puffy clouds overshadowed the approaching land and the dragoness banked accordingly to avoid them. While it might have been better for her to go into them to avoiding being seen for a little bit, she figured it made no difference. Besides, her visibly was reduced while flying through anything other than clear, calm weather. Adjusting her flight for the slow descent that was coming, the black female flared her wings. It was something she knew by instinct, not by experience. She hadn't flown much but in the times she had, she'd grown to love it. Such freedom in the sky. It felt like she was master of all the earth while she wasn't held by gravity.

Suddenly catching the faintest flicker of yellow out of the corner of her eye, the young female turned her head accordingly. A majestic beast, another dragon who was considerably many years older than she was approached steadily on weary wings. His body trembled every now and then and his brown eyes appeared dim as well as his scales not having near the luster she would have thought they would have. What had happened to him?

Opening her mind to the older dragon, the young dragoness attempted to speak with him. It was her first time ever speaking with another dragon but she thought she could handle it.

_You look tired_, she growled as the male opened his mind just enough to her for them to speak.

_I am. _The older dragon trembled once more as he eased into flight beside her. _How far are we away from land, hatchling?_

_An hour, maybe two. Not that far really_, the black female responded excitedly.

_Your name, what is it?_

The younger dragoness paused before speaking. She had never considered a name, nor did she had any real need of it. Only one thought came to mind when she thought on it: Verdra. It sounded good enough for a name, she mused before finally responding to the yellow dragon beside her, his eyes not exactly focused on her.

_Verdra_, she hummed pleasantly, enjoying the sound of her name.

_You look so much like her_, the older male muttered.

_Who? _Verdra questioned, her curiosity perking at possibly learning the name of another dragon.

_Arxa, she rules our lands now. Driven by grief and rage she holds an iron claw over all dragons. Stay careful to not fall into her grip._

The yellow male sighed and flapped his wings as the sunlight bounced off his scales. Verdra growled softly, her eyes going to the older dragon. Was this a warning to keep flying until she felt she could not anymore? Would no place be safe?

_Why do you say that I should be careful? _She asked.

_Arxa holds many abilities now. In her grief, she has made herself unstoppable. No dragon can get close without dying_, the weary male sighed.

_She's that strong? _

The yellow dragon snorted. _No, I meant she is difficult to get to. I've heard she secludes herself in a small cave on the northern boundary of our lands, waiting for something._

_Something? What it is she's waiting for? _Verdra growled, confused the more she spoke with the older male. His words were starting to make no sense to her.

_I don't know_, the older male hissed, his tone filled with what Verdra could just make out as misery and agony.

_Alright_, Verdra muttered, dropping the subject. _What's your name?_

_Taurus_, the male growled, flapping his wings as land drifted closer to them. _I appreciate the company Verdra during our flight. May you stay safe._

With that, Taurus began to slowly coast down, his claws skimming over the water before making contact with the grassy land. He glanced back up at her for a moment before walking away after folding in his wings tightly against his body, his shoulder sagging slightly.

Once Verdra saw that he had landed safety she followed suite, although being more graceful with her descent than Taurus had been. Flaring her wings as she landed without injury, the dragoness glanced around for a moment to make sure she was not being followed as she folded her wings against her onyx scales. Deciding the it was safe to move, she snorted and set off toward a dense forest only miles away that she had seen from the air. Her wings hurt and they probably would for several days after what she had done with being so young to cross such a large lake in a single day.

_You happen to be Verdra, correct? _The deep growl of a male caught her attention and scared Verdra slightly.

_Who wants to know? _She asked, trying to be as brave as she could but realizing the shakiness in her voice.

_I do_, the male snorted as a flash of red scales caught in the corner of Verdra's right eye.

_What's your name? _She inquired as the male growled raspily.

_My name is . . ._


	2. Beginning the Descent

**Chapter 2-Beginning the Descent**

_What is your name? _Verdra snarled as the male had not answered her the first time.

_It's Uria, the former Guardian of Tronay Nekita. _The male muttered the last part, trying to not drag up harsh memories of his owner's death.

_I've never heard of her. She was human, correct? _Verdra asked.

_She was_, Uria growled softly. _She was my rider, my partner. Even after everything we went through, she still gave up on me, gave up on life. I loathe myself for not trying harder to save her, to make her want to live. _

He sighed, lowering his snout as his black eyes softened, near to the point that Verdra thought she could see the faintness of tears as she turned to gaze fully upon him. Verdra paused, unsure of what she could do to give him comfort. She had never met him before, never heard of him until now.

_I just want to feel important again_, the red dragon hummed. _I want to feel like I have a purpose for being here, a reason for my continued existence._

_Do you have a mate? _Verdra questioned.

_I do_, Uria sighed. _Her name is Makiar, she's a red dragon like I am._

_Then you have something worth living for_, the black dragoness hummed pleasantly as Uria figured out what she had meant.

_I understand_, he snorted. _You want me to have a reason to go on, to want to live. That way I don't end up like my rider did._ The emotion in his voice rang clearly in the last few words he spoke as he lifted his black eyes to meet with her own purple eyes.

There was a clear sense of loss that Verdra got when she looked at Uria. From what he had said, his own rider had been taken from him. Had it been an accident? A sudden death? She would probably never know as he didn't seem to be one who would reveal such painful information to a lone stranger like herself.

_You knew my name when you walked up, how? _Verdra asked as she found herself staring into Uria's black pools that were his eyes.

_I know much of you, little one. Your mother was lucky to survive after what she endured, but I am not here to speak of her in such a open place. _The red dragon swept his neck to the left, indicating that he wanted them to go into the forest behind her. _Your very survival and growth is certainly rare in these times but I am glad to finally meet you._

Without waiting for a response from her, Uria walked on ahead. He limped slightly as he moved, something Verdra picked up on with precision. She thought of questioning it but decided against bringing that up and merely followed without hesitation.

Traveling through the dense forest underbrush was simple and rather painless, or so Verdra had thought when she had looked down upon it in her flight. It wasn't as easy as she had once imagined it would be. The thick roots of trees and the broad outreaching under leaves of numerous plants held her back, so much so that Uria had to cut much of the vegetation from her.

_You are like a child_, he hissed angrily after she had gotten herself somehow upside down with a thick vine wrapped around her tail and wings, even though her wings lay flat against her body.

Snarling softly, he cut her down and then lifted his tail to where the rather muscular part ran over her neck. Verdra trembled, unsure of if it was nerves or the fact that he could easily kill her if he so desired.

_Come_, he growled gently, or as gently as he could. _It's not much farther now. _

With that tiny bit of confidence from the words of the older dragon, Verdra nodded and quickly caught up with him. Her eyes watched his movements as he seemed to pass through every tree root and leaf and she did her best to follow his steps as well as she could.

_Uria? _She asked as they avoided a small overcasting branch. _Where are we going?_

The red dragon hummed from a moment before responding. His voice was as even as ever, although Verdra could detect a strain of sorrow in his words as he spoke.

_I suppose I never did tell you. This place is the only safe haven we have from the monster that is Arxa. _He glanced at her for a moment. _I assume you've been told who Arxa is, am I correct?_

_Taurus spoke little on it_, Verdra answered, her gaze drifting up to meet the black eyes of Uria.

_Of course, my mistake. Arxa is . . . well you'll see soon enough._

_You mean? You mean she's been captured by . . . ?_

_My mate did an excellent job of taking her down. Of course, she won't speak to any of us. _Monsters _she calls us, all of us. It's draining me, Verdra. _Uria tried to seem calm but Verdra knew it was only an act. If she felt, he thought, that he was worried then it would affect her as well.

Verdra plodded slowly after Uria and then halted as he came to a large grey stone pushed against the thick trunk of a massive tree. How the tree had gotten so big she knew not but if it were to lead to an underground collection of surviving dragons then she was happy nonetheless.

Uria pushed against the stone and scraped it with his right clawed forepaw before taking a step back and growling softly. _It is open, follow me._

With eagerness did Verdra follow the older dragon and the two descended into the darkness as the stone rolled to the side and allowed them entrance . . .


	3. Dragons New and Old

**Chapter 3-Dragons New and Old**

The walls that lined the descent to the bottom just barely allowed for Uria to get through and, as such, Verdra had little problem following after him. The older dragon only got stuck once, much to his own dismay and anger, which he took out on the walls around him and carved deep gashes into the already smooth wood.

_How is this place protected? _Verdra questioned as she tried to stay far enough back to avoid the swinging tail of the ruby male.

_A series of complex layouts and multiple dead-ends. We hope that whoever comes down here either knows the way or gets lost and starves to death. _He snorted at the end. A faint trickle of smoke drifting from his nostrils.

_And this was carved out by dragons? _Verdra inquired as the majestic sculpting on the walls led her to believe that another race had done these gloriously crafted rows of flowers that ran straight up and down the walls and seemed to stretch on for as long as there was a pathway.

_The walls? No, we had our human friends help to make the design on the walls. It is simple but elegant and we enjoy it. _Uria hummed deeply in his chest as he continued to move, his eyes straight ahead as he descended each leveled stone step with complete knowledge of where they were.

_What about the steps? I have never seen such texture before on such a simple surface._

_Those steps are of our doing. We melted the stone and had it fused with the wood and then hardened to form that which you see_, Uria responded, glancing down at the step he was about to place his left foreleg down on.

The steps were of strains of wood and stone, fused so that it formed a ripple effect on each smooth surface. It had taken them days to complete each of the fifty steps and even longer on the walls as to determine the correct height and width so that each dragon could leave and enter without getting stuck. The only problem was that some of the dragons, the older ones mostly, never stopped growing. Although their growth was very slow, it was still there but the genetic makeup needed for it to be passed on to future generations had been lost over the thousands of years since the days of the Protectors.

Descending from the last step, and glad of it, Uria moved over slightly to allow Verdra to come to stop beside him. They had entered a large round chamber, its width massive enough to hold at least twenty full-grown dragons. The walls still had the flower design and the floor was just like the steps had been.

_So this is . . . ?_

_This is our home now_, Uria finished for Verdra as she was at a loss of words to match such beauty and realization for where they were.

The chamber had five wide slits cut out of the walls and those slits gave way to five new walkways without steps apart from one on the very left of the room. It was the one with steps that Uria led Verdra to and made sure she followed him as he began yet another descent.

_How far can we go down? _Verdra questioned as she followed Uria, worried that she might never see the sun again.

_I am not sure, came the male's curt reply._

_The ones that live down here, have they ever seen the sun? _She asked, hoping for more elaboration on Uria's part.

_Those that go out and hunt for us, like I, see the sun but the others do not and instead have another way to produce light. _The male chuckled as he stopped for a moment and motioned to Verdra to look straight ahead.

Up ahead of Uria there was a small fixture pounded into the wall by brute force. Twin shafts of metal twisted up, down, and around it a single orb of blue light to enclose the precious object in a mix between a sphere and an upside down pyramid. A thin layer of cloth surrounded the top and draped down the sides as to cut back the glare from when one was entering from another well lit tunnel into the darker one that Uria and Verdra were in.

_Amazing_, the black female muttered, her voice barely over a whisper. _Where does the light come from in this?_

_It comes from us, from our kind_, Uria growled softly in response. _Now then, come._

Taking one last look at the lantern, Verdra followed on behind Uria. She was confused on what he had said about the light coming from their kind. It made no sense. Dragons were not natural lanterns, that much she knew from having slept in darkened areas at night with no moon to provide her light. They could, however, see far greater in darkness than humans but, like the continued growth of adults, that trait had been lost as well. Now their kind was fading into nothing but a memory. A remnant of the powerful species they had once been at their height.

The two descended from the stairs and found themselves in another chamber, although this one had walls of pure stone. The greyness of the room seemed to dampen Verdra's spirits but she tried not to show it as Uria suddenly roared out and launched a blazing stream of fire into the center of the room.

_Wh-what was that for? _She growled as the male stopped the violent gust of flaming breath and turned his attention to her.

_I figured you'd like to meet more of our kind. I was simply calling out to them as they dwell in almost darkness down here. Light, as I suppose you've figured out by now, attract those of the dark._

The red dragon's answer was more than Verdra had hoped for but it pleased her that she would get to meet more of her own kind. A moment passed and Verdra thought she heard a low growl echo from one of the many corridors the room split into.

Within seconds, Uria had jumped in front of her, teeth bared and low snarl rippling up from his throat. Verdra took a step back, not sure of what she had done as she heard another low growl echo from a different corridor.

_Stay back_, he warned as he crouched down, his underbelly touching the floor._ Stay hidden in the shadows and don't move._

The low growling soon advanced into a whine as Uria grew tense with each passing moment. Finally he snorted and a burst of flame shot from his nostrils to reveal to Verdra that they were not alone. At least ten dragons, their colors ranging from the deepest black to orange-red, encircled Uria and her. One of them, a red dragon with ruby eyes, growled softly and finally spoke up, his voice deep and yet still having some hatchling-like qualities to it.

_Why do you bring an outsider to us, Airu? Is it because you think she can help us fight against the monster that is Arxa? You know as well as I do that nothing can help our chances of winning this war against a dragoness who is as clear as she is cunning._

_Pytris, my son, believe me when I say that I have brought her only here because of Finca. This is the child that was lost when the white dragoness was attacked. I never imagined she would be as black as night but her heart is good, Uria replied, growling softly at hearing the inverse of his name which he used for only one person._

_The same was said about Arxa but we know how that turned out. _A different dragon snapped back, the voice deep with seething anger.

_Indeed, our ancestors should be blamed for cursing her as they did. _Another dragon snarled as Uria struggled to respond.

_Perhaps_, Verdra growled as the thought came to her, _perhaps this was not her choice? Perhaps fate played no role in what she became?_

Uria growled softly in warning but it came too late as Pytris lunged toward her and slammed her down on the floor, his body on top of her own. The elder male snarled and swiped at the younger fire dragon with his tail but Pytris was quicker and snapped at it.

_Listen to her. She speaks nonsense_. The only other red dragon in the room snarled.

_Silence Reath, Pytris growled as his red eyes sought out his half-brother who was younger than he and who had a different father._

_Perhaps Finca's black hatchling has a point though_. A new voice entered the conservation as a lanky brown dragoness approached Pytris with Reath at her heels.

_Why say that Ryta? You know far well enough what Arxa is like with your own eyes_, Pytris snarled softly as her warm azure eyes settled on him. _I mean . . . You might be right after all._

Uria hummed knowingly as Pytris backed off Verdra and lowered his head. His son was in love and he was pleased, very pleased. Ryta and Reath stopped beside Uria and the dragoness raised her head to view Uria. She might be a new dragon but the quality of seeing better in the darkness than most had been passed on to her and to most of the dragons down here.

Suddenly a deep and powerful roar rippled through the air, bringing with it a sense of fear and respect coursing through all of the ten years old or younger dragons. . . .


	4. Behold the White Dragoness

**Chapter 4-Behold the White Dragoness**

_That's enough! Back to your corridors!_

The hatchlings all nearly jumped as a nearby roar sent them into a panic. Only Reath, Ryta, Pytris, Uria, and Verdra remained as the others scampered back into the corridors. One lone dragon slowly descended from the steps and Uria growled softly in remembrance of who it was.

_I told you to get back into your corridors, the blue dragon snarled, his right shoulder just inches from Verdra snout as she stood up._

_Geer, it has been long time my friend_, Uria hummed as he reached out with his tail and ran it lightly across the top of the dragon's snout.

_I know that touch only belongs to one dragon here. Welcome Uria, how was the trip? _Geer growled softly as Verdra backed away, concerned as the dragon's eyes stared at nothing and just seemed to be there for no purpose.

_It was fine. I found Finca's lost hatchling on my way back. Sadly, I brought no food._

Geer snorted in amusement. _Food is running plentiful right now, well as long as those hatchlings don't get into it. _He sighed. _So you found her, after all this time. Finca will be overjoyed at this news. _

_Yes I know_, Uria growled soothingly. _I am going to go see her right now. Could you watch Verdra while I'm gone?_

_It would be my honor_, Geer growled as he straightened himself and Uria walked past, glancing briefly at Verdra before walking up the steps the way they had come.

Geer sighed and walked into one of the nearby corridors, snapping orders once more for there to be no noise and for males and females to sleep in separate rooms.

_Is he always like that? _Verdra asked Ryta as the brown dragoness was the closest to her with Pytris and Reath nearly right on Ryta's back.

_Who? Geer? Of course, it bugs us but we understand his strictness now as that monster is a floor below us_, the dragoness growled back in a friendly tone.

_I can't blame him for how he acts_, Pytris sighed. _He's blind and has basically nothing left in terms of family. His father is dead and his mother - your mother, Verdra - was close to death's door a couple years ago._

_Wait, we're related? The shock of learning that she had siblings surprised and gladdened Verdra. No longer was she by herself in terms of family._

_You are, be glad of that_, Reath snorted. _I'm the half-brother of this love-struck male beside me._

_What? I am not love-struck!_ Pytris snarled.

_Prove it_, Reath commanded as he crouched down and snarled menacingly at the older male.

_Uh, guys. Now might not be good to mock fight_, Ryta commented as Geer roared and the sound of muscular mass against wood rippled around them.

Pytris growled and was tackled to the floor by Reath who was then thrown over the body of the one he had gone after. Sent smacking onto the floor, the golden-eyed dragon snarled bitterly and snapped at Pytris as he walked over in pride.

The next moment the ground fell away from under the fledgling dragon as he was sent sliding into one of the walls by a very powerful gust of electrically charged wind.

_What did I tell you about fighting? _Geer snarled as he entered the rounded chamber, a thin line of blood on his left shoulder.

The three dragons standing backed up as Reath staggered to his feet and shook his head. He knew that Geer wielded electricity but he hadn't known that the older dragon could manipulate it as well.

_Sorry_, the two red dragons replied as they lowered their heads in respect towards the blind male that watched over them.

_Fine but make sure it doesn't happen . . ._

Geer was suddenly cut off by a roar radiating with pure happiness and much too deep to come from a hatchling. The blue dragon flinched as scraping against wood could be heard and the gentle growl of another dragon.

Another dragon emerged from the staircase as Uria plodded behind. This one was white and the thinner front legs and snout gave proof that it was a female. The oldest red dragon in the room sighed as Geer backed up against the wall behind him to allow his mother some room as Finca turned her eyes to the only black dragon in the chamber.

_My child, my daughter of the new moon. Now I meet and behold your glorious presence for the first time since I laid your egg_, Finca growled softly as Verdra advanced, cautious at first but slowly gaining the confidence to walk at her normal speed to greet her mother.

Nuzzling the white dragoness, Verdra felt at peace and felt truly happy. Her mother was alive, that's all that mattered to her as Finca ran her tongue soothingly over her daughter's dusty body.

_There is much to talk about, the dragoness hummed as Verdra growled softly, a slight musical tone to her growl that no other dragon had._

_Indeed_, Verdra agreed. _Much have we to speak of concerning the last sis years. For starters, why didn't you come and find me after I hatched? I know you felt the energy release as all dragons do when one joins them._

Finca sighed and looked at the wall behind her child. She was silent for a long time before she responded, although her answer was not what Verdra had hoped for.

_I was attacked when I was returning to my cave with your egg after I gave the other one of that clutch to my son and his mate. In the fight, which I never did see my attacker, I lost your egg and was injured to the point of death. Uria found me and, by his help and that of others, saved my life and restored me to health._

_I never knew, I'm sorry I asked_, Verdra muttered as the realization of why her egg had been abandoned struck her and made her reconsider much of how she had brought herself up.

_It is fine_, Finca growled soothingly. _I don't mind telling you of what occurred. _She paused for a moment. _Verdra, huh? Nice name for one that raised herself upon the wild and grew to respect its laws._

_Mother, I hate to interrupt but these hatchlings are fighting once again_, Geer growled as he motioned towards Reath and Pytris.

_Dragons of fire, step forward_. Finca's tone darkened, becoming the tone that Uria knew as well as any other. She meant business now.

Pytris and Reath slowly advanced as they trembled slightly in fear. Finca was a highly skilled dragoness and she had been the mate of one of the most famous dragons around until his death. In fact, Rados has been the only offspring of the first clutch Finca and Tamli had created to survive and see the others come into the world.

_Pytris and Reath, might I ask why you two were fighting? _She growled in questioning as both stopped before her and brought their eyes to meet her gaze.

_They were fighting because of Pytris being love-struck over me. Reath challenged him by saying he was and Pytris was only trying to prove the younger dragon wrong_, Ryta sighed as both red hatchlings snarled softly at her.

_I see_, Finca hummed. _Both of you will accompany my daughter and I as we visit my closest female friend._

Pytris growled in puzzlement. Whom was she referring to? More so, why did both Reath and he have to go with Finca and Verdra?

_If I may be so bold as to ask, why does he have to come along with us as well? _Pytris and Reath growled, indicating the other and expressing their confusion at the dragoness' words.

_Because of your punishment_, Grien commented with a sharp snarl as his tail whistled through the air. _That is unless you'd prefer my way of punishment._

_We're fine with Finca_, both fledgling ruby dragons replied, nodding with vigor.

Finca chuckled as Uria sighed in boredom. There was little that could please the dragon with now since the death of his rider but Finca was certain they could find a way to please Uria and bring more cheer to the underground world that they lived in now.

_Geer_, Finca snapped as the blue dragon flinched in shock at having to be called by his mother._See to it that Ryta is taken care of fully by Uria and myself. We accept full responsibly for her, if that is okay Verdra._

_I mind it not_, the black dragoness hummed in response as she nudged Pytris with her snout. _I've gotten to know more dragons today then I've ever seen in my life so far. One more won't hurt._

Uria growled and slapped his tail on the floor. Every eye went to him as he motioned for them to remember what was below them. _Remember what this chamber rests above. She has dealt much damage to all of us, Ryta in particular if what I hear is correct._

_My parents were killed . . ._ Ryta began but stopped and closed her eyes, twisting her head away.

Pytris walked over and nuzzled her, his eyes turning to Uria as a low growl rippled from his jaws. _You see what you've done. She shouldn't have to dwell upon painful memories like you ask her to._ _For one such as you, you should know better than to have her revisit the darkest places of her mind only for information._

Uria sighed. His son had a point even if it pained him to admit it to himself. He had no right to force information from Ryta so soon after the death of her parents but he had to know more of what Arxa could do, and how much danger they were in by having her chained just under the very floor he stood on.

_Come, hatchlings_, Finca growled as she turned and led the three up the steps, Ryta pausing at the entrance and looking up at the white dragoness with eagerness._You can follow us Ryta._

Squeaking in happiness, her age at five years, the brown dragoness ran up the stairs behind the others and soon fell into step alongside Pytris. She nudged the red dragon and he growled softly in response at having her with him now. Things were now looking good for the fire dragon and he would ensure that Ryta would be his future mate.


	5. Dealing with a Dual Persona

**Chapter 5-Dealing with a Dual Persona**

The utter blackness penetrated through her thoughts and the black dragoness lifted her head. Arxa, as she was called by many who knew not what she had gone through over the years since her hatching, growled as she found that thick black chains had been wrapped around her body and latched to the walls around her. She had no recollection of escaping last time from those chains but she supposed she had.

Hunger scraped at her but the dragoness merely shut her mind away from the physical needs of her body. There was more going on with her than any other dragon knew that lived in this dismal place. She was Narssia, the dragoness once bonded to the Atlantean king Dartz but that had changed once her bond to him had been broken because of another dragon killing him. This had changed her, corrupted her mind and shackled her spirit so that the same darkness that her rider had once used came back to haunt her as she had used it before, only one though, and she had accepted out of weakness.

That same power had formed the monster that lurked deep in her mind. The presence of Arxa could be felt constantly by the female but she tried her best to fight it. However, she was fighting a losing battle as to how long she could hold onto her sanity and not let the magic-formed presence control her.

Narssia could already tell she was weakening against it. Terdon's murder had been a mistake, a fatal flaw on her part as she had tried to see if the sheer will of her thoughts were enough to hold Arxa back and it hadn't. The fury-driven, created from magic, dragoness spirit had taken control and had slaughtered the innocent blue dragon.

As if on cue, Arxa's rich with anger voice rose from the depths of Narssia's mind, her tone more loathing than the black dragoness had ever heard it before. **Stupid Protectors and their offspring. If it wasn't for them, Makiar to be precise, I would be out gathering more abilities.**

_**Maybe this is for the better? **_Narssia suggested, trying to keep peace between herself and the insane dragoness who lurked within her mind.

Arxa snorted. **Better? You really want better from that traitor of a dragon? If Makiar had her way, we'd be dead now.**

_**Exactly my point**_, Narssia hummed, pleased that Arxa was getting annoyed with her now.

**Still ticked over Mirage's death I see.**

_**No, that's not it**_, Narssia snapped back, only to have Arxa chuckle in amusement.

**I believe it is. You were quite close to him from the time you two spent together. Being frozen for an entire year must have impacted you some, not to mention how it affected Mirage.**

_**Do not bring him into this. He is dead! **_Narssia roared, struggling against the chains to further prove her anger.

**Ah, he's dead. Uria should be dead after all the times he has died already, and let's not forget Finca who, if my memory is correct, should have died six years ago.**

_**By your . . .**_

Narssia hissed angrily and shut her eyes as the only door to her small chamber was opened. Through the blackness, she could feel heat upon her scales as the clicking of another creature approached her.

_I assume you're awake_, the familiar rough voice of Makiar rippled out to Narssia and she fought to keep herself in control.

Arxa growled softly in Narssia's mind but, surprisingly, kept herself under control and didn't assume command over the body that they both had full access to. Narssia was grateful for the fact that Arxa allowed her time to think, and allowed her control when she was the true owner of the body anyway.

_I am awake, Makiar_, she snarled as she opened her eyes, blinking as the red dragoness seemed too bright in her dismal world that she lived in now, being chained up in a dark room and all. _However, your mental inquiry that Arxa is in command is false. _

_You don't know the real answer either_, the ruby dragoness hissed as Narssia lifted her head to better see the maddened eyes of the red female.

_Point taken but I have less restraint over Arxa then I have ever had._ Her eyes locked with Makiar's own. _Kill me, please._

The red dragoness looked away, breaking their connection. Her tail swished through the air slowly as the seconds passed and Narssia felt herself grow more and more stretched. Arxa wasn't fighting the normal way but instead by attacking through her connections to others. Some connections were fragile, a few were broken already, but Narssia felt the pain from each one as the dark female that lurked in her mind hesitated near every one of them.

_You know Narssia_, Makiar began, her voice low and giving the impression that she was tired, _I can't bring myself to do it._ She looked back at the distraught dragoness bound by chains. _To me, you are like a daughter, although I can't say I have approved of certain things you've done._

**You monster! **Arxa's voice rippled through the air, making Narssia cringe as the dragoness' thoughts were loud enough to make her head hurt. **Why keep us alive then? She gave you an order so carry it out!**

Makiar snarled, narrowing her eyes. _Who am I to take orders from, Arxa? You're the reason why she is in here and you know it. Besides, she requested it of me not ordered me to deliver the final blow to her fragile frame._

**If I had my way, you would be dead Protector. **Arxa's anger lashed out at Narssia's mind even more forcefully.

Makiar snorted in amusement. _I feel the same way about you._

**I existed far before you were even born. Such is the way of the darkness that fuels my soul.**

_Your soul? You don't have a soul as far as I'm concerned_, Makiar snarled softly, glancing at the chains that bound the joined presence of Narssia and Arxa.

_Just end this_, Narssia whispered, straining with every fiber in her body to stay in control over Arxa._Please Makiar, make this misery stop for me._

_I won't kill you, but I can ease your pain should you allow it_, Makiar whispered in response, her yellow eyes bright with eagerness.

_What are you going to do? _Narssia whispered back, struggling to remain in control.

Makiar hummed softly as her eyes flickered to the chains that bound Narssia. Her frame shivered with anticipation as Arxa grew more angered with each passing moment.

_Lower your head_, she intrusted Narssia as the younger dragoness did what was asked of her._ _Close your eyes and don't open them no matter what I say, understood? __Narssia growled softly, indicating she had heard.

**Fight me like the dragon you are, Makiar! **Arxa snarled as Narssia cringed in pain.

_Oh, I am. I know more about fighting in the mind then you would think I do._

**So what? It doesn't help you any**, Arxa snapped back.

_That's where you're wrong. The mind is fragile, able to be swayed easily. Given enough pressure, it can crack to the influences around, and in, its barriers_, Makiar retorted.

Realizing her chance, Makiar assaulted the joined mind of Narssia and Arxa. She hoped there was a way to break apart the two and drive Arxa out of the weakened mind of Narssia. What she found was the exact opposite of her intended thought however.

Driven back into her own mind from Arxa's presence, Makiar tried once more and was repelled again. The ruby dragoness wasn't ready to submit just yet and drove back in for the third time, only to be accepted by Narssia, who was holding off Arxa.

The crystal-like appearance of Narssia's mind gave proof to Makiar just how fragile she was. She could break at any moment and then Arxa would have full control. Makiar wasn't about to have that happen!

_Why come to find me in this broken place? _Narssia asked as she brought together her strength to shield Makiar from Arxa's fury once more.

_Because of what I intend to do_, Makiar replied. _Have you ever had your identity erased from the minds of those that know you?_

_No, but I see where you're going with this. You want to erase Arxa, correct?_

_Sort of. I want to fuse together you both but Arxa is being . . ._ Makiar paused, searching for the right word.

_Difficult?_ Narssia suggested. _Don't worry about me, focus on stopping her right now. __The rest will fall into place given enough time._

_As you wish, Narssia. I offer you the best luck that you survive_, Makiar hummed.

_The same goes to you as well_, Narssia snorted. _Now go, leave before she gets . . . _

An icy surge of power, raw to the extreme, shoved into Makiar, forcing her to leave Narssia's mind once more. She didn't try to reenter but instead blinked in shock as the chains that bound the younger dragoness began to shake and rattle. Narssia growled softly, squeezing her eyes shut as the chains rattled more forcefully.

Makiar took a step back, debating on calling for Uria, when the chains snapped away from the wall and the dragoness that was held by them stood up. When she opened her eyes Makiar knew that the fight was lost on Narssia's part as Arxa's whitened irises gleamed with madness.

_You tried to kill me_, she hissed, adapting her voice to match Narssia's own tone. _Why should I let you live then?_

_Because of her compassion_, Makiar snarled right back, unafraid of the powerful dragoness that now held command over the body of a young dragon that was forced to be alone in the world due to the death of her rider and her mate at such a young age.

_Compassion is a weakness of your race. I need no such feelings to ensure that I get what I want._

_There in lies your weakness Arxa. You thrive for power yet feel nothing when you get it_, Makiar snorted.

_Liar! I feel its strength empowering me further when I obtain it_, Arxa hissed in response, her white eyes focused on Makiar as she advanced toward the red female.

_You think you can kill me and get away with it? If so, think again._

Arxa snarled, her eyes narrowing to mere slits as anger took over. She sprang, snapping at Makiar as the dragoness backed up and slammed her tail on the door to be allowed to exit but the door failed to open. Makiar glanced around, trying to find another way out but there was none. It was going to be all over . . .

_Makiar! _Finca's roar caught both of the dragons' attentions and Arxa snarled brutally.

The door sprang to life as its locking mechanism disabled and Makiar slipped through the small crack that she tore open with her claws. That same door also allowed for Arxa to escape as she powered her way through its tough, metal surface.

_Makiar, are you all right? _Finca questioned as the red dragoness tried to make sense of what happened just prior to her friend saving her life.

_I'm fine Finca but we have bigger problems now. _Her eyes locked with Finca's. _Arxa is loose._


	6. Price of Power

**Chapter 6-Price of Power**

Arxa snarled, baring her fangs as Makiar shrank back. Her icy gaze drifted to Ryta as Narssia stirred slightly. The dragoness growled more bitterly, shaking her head as Narssia fought her way to the surface once more.

_My child_, she whispered, barely able to speak for fear of losing her faint grip on Arxa. _Come, save me._

Arxa roared, flaring her wings as Finca stepped forward. She knew of the powerful dragoness but that fact that Finca possessed powerful abilities that interested her more.

_If you wish a fight_, she snarled, her eyes completely white once more, _then come and seek me out, daughter of Mirage._

The walls, having held their design even here, gave Arxa concerns as her restless eyes swept over them. Wood posed a problem should she fight with fire. Narssia was as deeply concerned, although her own fears were more for Ryta than for the entire place going up in flames.

_Leave! _Ryta snarled, her belly scraping the ground as she crouched. _That is unless you want a fight where you will be vastly outnumbered._

Narssia hummed with pleasure, marveling at her daughter's spirit while Arxa grew more agitated. Snapping out at Finca, her teeth sank into the female's shoulder as Ryta sprang for her. The sound of mental on mental resounded through empty nearby chambers as the two dragons toppled to the floor and began to lash out at each other with their fangs, claws, and tail.

Dust, kicked up by the fighting, prevented the others from helping. Even Finca drew back, realizing that this was Ryta's fight. Makiar was of the same mind set as well and retreated without a word, still mostly in shock from her near death experience. Suddenly the sound of what seemed like snapping of a bone rang through the hall, followed by a screeching howl that was almost unheard of to come from a dragon.

_Ryta! _Pytris roared, jumping into the fight without concern for his own life.

Finca stiffened, her eyes watching with uncertainty as the sound of mental on mental began again, more dust rising into the air. Her own worry was growing as the minutes passed by but she made sure not to show it. Makiar was not near as calm though as she paced restlessly, her eyes scanning the dust to try and see at least some of the fight that was taking place.

Another screeching howl rose into the air minutes later, its tone wailing with pain. Finca snarled softly, her eyes narrowing in anger as the dust began to settle somewhat. Finally the remaining dragons could make out two figures now standing. One of those was Arxa, a deep gash along her side, while the other was Ryta, a similar mark on her tail that left it dangling with nearly nothing left to keep it on.

_You have improved since Sitedal escaped with you_, Arxa commented, a faint layer of pride strained through her voice.

_I wish the same could be said for you_, Ryta snarled back in anger. _You have only become more power-hungry and have tried to drive my mother into submission. That won't happen!_

She sprang once more, hurling her body at Arxa as the female hissed with eagerness. Reacting as the thought came to her of what Arxa planned to do, Verdra intercepted her friend by jumping before her.

_Listen to me Ryta, she wants to kill you with this blow_, Verdra growled as Ryta struggled against her weight.

_Let me go! She killed my father, shackled by mother, and now taken Pytris' life. Someone needs to end this! _Ryta roared as she opened her maw.

Hot waves of golden fire burst from her jaws, their might directed at Arxa who countered with a stream of ice that she had obtained from her killing of Terdon. The two elements clashed, both canceling the other out. Eventually Ryta grew strained and found it hard to keep her flames going as this was the first time she had ever used her element.

Finca snarled, releasing a torrent of her shadow, dark black flames that seemed like mist, to counter Arxa's icy stream. Makiar even added her own fire to the mix, her fiery hot red flames boosting Finca's shadow fire. Now Arxa was the one growing tired, Ryta realized as she stopped her flames and closed her maw. During Arxa's imprisonment, Makiar had found a way to lance the very air she breathed with a chemical that repressed her elemental skills. Only now was she getting over it but already the weakened dragoness could feel the strain on her chest as she grew shorter of breath.

Makiar roared, boosting her flames to a higher pitch as Finca continued in steadiness. They knew their foe was feeling the strain as already her ice was less powerful and theirs was no longer a chill around her maw. Taking a sudden chance, Arxa stopped her attack, threw herself to the floor and slammed her tail into Verdra's side. The resulting shriek nearby broke Finca's heart as she watched her child get thrown into the closest wall possible with enough force to break the bones of adult dragons. Memories of Silver and Szara's death raged through her mind, freely inflicting guilt on her as she couldn't help but remember her two daughters from her first clutch with Tamli that had been killed by Mhetra and Meta only years ago.

_Verdra! _Finca roared, stopping her shadow fire while Makiar ceased her own flames, sinking to the floor in shock while Arxa crawled over to her bruised and battered daughter. _Get up, please!_

Ryta snarled and sprang once more, tackling Arxa and sending them rolling along the ground only to plough into the other wall just across from where Verdra lay unmoving. She growled with rage as Arxa tried to flip her but instead ended up breaking the last strands of skin the majority of her tail had to the rest of her body. The broken appendage fell with a thud to the floor, neither of the warring dragons concerned over it.

Makiar, however, realized what that much blood loss could do to a dragon. Her only option was to stop the fight but that would involve more fury than she could muster. Luckily for her, her mate was more than willing to come down and fight once she sought him out and explained the situation. Granted, Uria wasn't pleased that she had let Arxa break out of her cell but he knew it was an accident.

With a roar that showed his might, Uria came crashing down from the floor below, breaking the ceiling and allowing Arxa the chance to shove Ryta away and take to the air with only a scratch along her left wing. Smoke drifted from his nostrils as he took chase but Arxa used her smaller frame to allow for more speed, thus evading him and escaping from the last remaining dragons that lived in one place together.


	7. Darkened Lies

**Chapter 7-Darkened Lies**

_I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner_, Uria muttered as he flared his wings, dropping to dust-laden floor once more. _Makiar gave me no time to use the stairs._

_I let you know because of that fact_, Makiar snarled in response before her eyes settled on the broken frame of her son.

A mournful cry rose from her throat and she howled in grief as Uria noticed it as well. Their son, Pytris, had been killed in the fight. He had been supposed to continue the long line of great fire dragons but now . . . he was no more.

_My child, my great achiever, why? What did you have to leave us? _She roared, her grief bringing all of her emotions closer to the surface.

As Makiar mourned the loss of her son, Finca was trying to save her daughter's life. Verdra whimpered in pain, unable to move anything but her head. Her eyes caught her mother's and she growled softly, trying to mask her misery.

_Verdra_, Finca whispered soothingly. _It's okay. I will make the pain stop._

Uria glanced over to her as Ryta picked herself up off the floor. Searing pain lashed through her tail, or what was left of it anyway. Smoke drifted from her nostrils as she tried to make sense of why she was still alive. Arxa should have killed her, yet the dragoness hadn't.

_Perhaps Narssia held her back_, Uria suggested, realizing her thoughts.

Ryta blinked, startled by the older dragon as the red male gently grabbed her large chunk of tail off the floor and walked over to her. Uria deposited it before her and looked down at her with calmness so unnatural for one who had just lost his son.

_Why aren't you grieving? _Ryta questioned, her voice barely above a whisper as the cold black eyes of Uria peered down at her.

_I am, hatchling, in my own way. To lose my son is heartbreaking but not nearly as much as when I lost my partner._

_You mean Tronay_, Reath growled softly, his eyes watching his mother's mate as Uria lowered his head in shame.

A low growl of agreement rippled from Uria's jaws as tears slipped down his face, his grief now brought to the surface. Ryta growled softly, wanting to comfort the older dragon but realizing that he wouldn't allow it. Uria was closed off, to say the least, now from most emotions that other dragons freely expressed.

_Pytris, please don't let it end like this! _Makiar moaned, her voice screeching with agony as she rested her snout on her son's shoulder.

Uria finally lifted his head, his eyes brighter than before. _He is dead, accept it._

_Accept it? Uria, he is our son! You try accepting it for a change! _Makiar spat back, her eyes glistening with fresh tears as her gaze lifted to meet her mate's.

_You know my reasons for not being as free with my grieving as you are_, Uria replied coldly, his tone becoming as hard and unemotional as his eyes.

_Tronay is dead, she has been dead for years now. _Finca growled, annoyed with Uria's closed heart as any dragon that lived in the tunnels. _If anyone needs to accept that, it's you!_

_I don't need your reminder of my pain, Finca._

_You need to get over it! _The white female roared. _Think about how she would see this in you. What would her words be?_

_'Get over the loss of those that mean the most to insure that you continue to live.' Is that better? _Uria's tone was now as dark as his black eyes, his anger held in check but only to the point where he would not attack Finca.

"You sounded just like her Uria. I'm impressed."

Uria growled softly as Dhran entered the chamber that reflected the battle that had taken place recently. A soft green cloak draped over his shoulders as the remaining human Ricata brought his green eyes to Makiar, stopping only inches from Uria.

Bowing before the dragoness, he spoke with utter concern for her, "I had hoped I would not be too late yet still Pytris has gone to be with my parents and all those of the dragon race who had given up their spark of life that allowed for their lives to be as long or as short as they were."

_Airu, you came. _Already Makiar seemed to display power in her voice once more. _I only wish you could have come sooner, my friend._

"Indeed I also had wished for my quicker arrival. How was he . . . ?"

_He fought to save me_, Ryta whispered, turning her eyes to Dhran as he noticed such an innocence in her eyes that betrayed the darkness that plagued her mind after having seen the burial death of her father and the shackling of her mother's will.

"Ryta, was your mother Narssia?" Dhran questioned, realizing the connection she must have to the dragoness that had just escaped.

_She was. My brothers should be looking for her now._

_Brothers? _Uria growled. _You mean she bore children from Mirage?_

_Two sons, Jormundur and Sitedal._

_Jormundur, is he a grey dragon? _Finca asked as she remembered seeing a dappled-grey tail from her mystery attacker while she had Verdra's egg with her.

_He must be_, Verdra growled, wincing as her mother helped her stand since her back wasn't broken, only sprained deeply.

_I have never seen my brother so angry apart from that night . . ._

_What night, little one?_ Uria hummed, his black eyes meeting Ryta's own.

_Things were looking good for me a month ago. I had a loving mother and father, my brothers were eager to teach me the ways of life, and I was the pride and joy of my family. That all changed when she returned one day from hunting. Narssia had never spoken of the oath she made with the Orichalcos to my brothers and I or even mentioned it to Raxmon. When it came it was as complete a shock to my father as it was to her children. _Ryta sighed, bracing herself for the emotional memories that sought to come forth as she dove deeper into her painful past. _That night, after she came back from her hunt, I noticed she was on edge. She tensed up frequently and snapped out if any of us questioned her on it. Her eyes were dim, a clear sign of great distress in a dragon, but none of us could get my mother to explain. I remember that last sentence my father spoke to her, its words so clear in my mind as if that night was only yesterday . . ._

* * *

><p>My mate<em>, a golden dragon by the name of Raxmon growled, his scales rubbing against the blackened scales of Narssia with utter concern. <em>What troubles you? What causes you this . . . distress?

_Narssia shifted, pulling away from her mate as her eyes scanned the small, circular cave that was their home. Its smooth marble walls shimmered with the last glimpses of the sun's rays as night set in upon the land. Her two oldest children, only hours apart, lay calmly in the corner closest to the open entrance as Ryta lay only feet away, busying herself on the leg of a deer as to avoid seeing her parents become interested in perhaps attempting to mate again._

I'm fine Raxmon, honestly_, she growled, her tone bitter with struggling anger. _My hunt just went longer than I had hoped.

_Raxmon snorted, smoke drifting from his nostrils and drifting back along his lengthy body. _Now, now. That isn't the truth_, he muttered as he brushed his snout against the bottom of her jaw, his olive eyes sparkling with joy and yet holding a trace of worry._

Raxmon, now is not the time._ _Her anger bristled more strongly as she jerked her head back, away from his snout even as their frames lay together. __Think of my sons and our daughter. Is this how we are to set their standard?

Perhaps you have a point . . .

Perhaps? We are their parents, we know better! _Narssia growled, her eyes flickering with a vermilion tint for only a second._

You didn't let me finish. _Raxmon snorted in protest as he reached out to her with his snout once more. _Perhaps you have a point because of our relation to those that lay within these walls. That should make all the difference in the world as to our behavior around them.

It should, but does it matter? _Narssia's voice cracked, she could feel herself giving in to the fury that pounded in her veins. _Does any of it matter or is this all a way to contain what can't be stopped? _She blinked, her eyes having shifted to pure whiteness as opposed to her normal yellow._

What do you mean? _Raxmon questioned in concern as young Ryta finished her meal and glanced back to her parents as her brothers simply watched._

_Slowly she leaned in, the side of her head brushing against the scales lining his neck. Her voice hissed like a snake, her tone so low only Raxmon could hear her next words._

How important is one delicate life?

_Her eyes gleamed with enjoyment as she leaned around and found the back of his neck, where the neck stops and the spine begins. Raxmon suddenly caught on, realizing that this behavior was not her normal display of affection toward him._

Ryta__, he growled. __Go stand near your brothers. Quickly, my child.

_Startled, the young brown dragoness complied as her brothers stood as if they were one being. The older of the two by only minutes, nuzzled his half sister as his grey scales mingled with her brown ones._

One simple life. _With those words, Narssia bit down on the spot chosen for a quick kill. Raxmon had no time to shriek in pain as the result was immediate._

_Tossing the dead dragon to the ground, the now hungry eyes of Narssia glanced up at Ryta and the older siblings of the young dragoness. A low growl rippled from deep in her throat, behind her bloody fangs as she showed them and the youngest of the three hatchling dragons trembled in fear._

Such a waste_, Narssia hissed as she stood, her mind now consumed by the force she had once tried to stop after the death of her rider. _You three would make such good prey for me to try out this new skill I just acquired only a few months ago.

_Inside her mind, the magic of the Orichalcos was spawning something that it had never created before in the mind of a dragon but was certain of its success. A presence infused with the darkest magic possible was growing, gaining ground over Narssia as her fury doubled upon itself. _

Leave us be_, the younger of her sons by Mirage snarled, his black scales glistening with the last few strands of light that found their way into the cave. _Take your desire elsewhere and return our mother!

Sitedal please_, Ryta whispered. _Keep your voice down, maybe she will think we pose no threat.

No threat? Ha, Jormundur and I could easily take her on. Besides it was your father's wish that you be kept safe. _He glanced over at his brother, the dragon's scales rustling as he returned the glance with a quick nod. _Come, follow me.

_Turning, Sitedal was about to lead his younger, but related only by his mother, sibling with him when Narssia spoke once more._

Sitedal! _She roared, anguish lashing through her voice as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to gain back control. _Leave with Ryta now! Focus on keeping her safe, no matter the cost, both of my sons!

_Needing no further request, the young dragon spread his wings and jumped from the mouth of their cave, Ryta following close behind. The events of the night were burned into her mind, never to be forgotten as a great tragedy had taken place._

* * *

><p><em>What became of Jormundur or Sitedal? Have you heard from them recently? <em>Makiar questioned.

_No, not since I came here. Sitedal and I flew to a small clearing where he left me to go return to Jormundur. I hope for the best, for both of them_, Ryta answered, closing her eyes as the feeling of abandonment for her brothers descended on her once more.

_I see now why you told me that both of your parents are dead_, Uria growled. _There is still a way to get Narssia back, I believe that. We have to make every single dragon besides those in this room see just what we see: a chance for her restoration, her redemption._

Dhran shifted his weight uncomfortably as moments passed without either any of the dragons or himself speaking. Truly this was a dark place for Ryta, the thought of never seeing her mother again in her right mind.

"Makiar, we should begin to prepare Pytris' body. Unless you disallow it of course."

_We should, you're right. _The ruby dragoness blinked back bitter tears before flaring her wings and taking to the floor above, her grief too much to handle.

_She reminds me of myself when Tamli died_, Finca growled softly, recalling her emotional vulnerability during the rough aftermath of her mate's death. _Uria, has the disease claimed anymore lives since Nor'ac?_

_Not that I've heard_, he replied, exchanging a quick glance at Dhran.

_We survived_, Verdra growled to Ryta, amazed that either of them were not killed.

_Praise to be given to our ancestors_, Reath commented, his scales now covered in a fine layer of dust.

Ryta nodded but the agreement was only superficial. She was now worried for Sitedal and Jormundur, not to mention her mother. Narssia had come through only briefly in the beginning of the fight so maybe having Arxa overwhelmed was the key to allow her mother to break through and speak with her.

_What troubles you youngling? _Uria growled, noticing her lack of attention to everything around her.

_I think I might have found a way to allow myself interaction with Narssia. I just need someone to come with me because I am certain I know where her lair is, my old home._

_If that's true, wouldn't your brothers try and fight her away from that place?_ Finca interrupted.

_Perhaps but given what I've heard about your own meeting with Jormundur, I know she is at my birthplace_, Ryta snarled, her teeth gleaming with a faint pink tint from where she had bitten Arxa during the fight.


	8. Fighting a Losing Battle

**Chapter 8-Fighting a Losing Battle**

The next day finally gave Ryta the chance she wanted to go out and seek her mother's body to rescue it from Arxa's presence. While everyone else was busy with preparing for Pytris' funeral, Ryta met with Verdra and Reath.

_I'll go with you_, Verdra growled, her back still tender from where Arxa had thrown her into a wall. _Might do me some good to get out of this place since everyone is so emotional now._

_Pytris was a big part of this family_, Reath commented, his eyes glistening with light from a lantern several feet away as they sat in the large entrance that Uria had first brought Verdra down to upon their arrival.

_He was your brother yet I don't see you mourning his death._ A puff of smoke drifted from Ryta's nostrils.

_We were never that close_, Reath replied, his eyes flickering down to the smooth wood-marble stranded floor.

_I can see that_, Verdra growled in agreement as her eyes watched dragons moving from one floor to the next. _Where were all the hatchlings moved to since there is no longer a floor in their rounded chamber due to Uria?_

_Given holds of their own I believe. Of course, Finca had to be moved to a bigger one since she asked that we stay with her_, Reath snorted with pride, his eyes reflecting the soft amber light that shone in from behind him.

Ryta sighed, getting to her feet as her newly reattached tail swung back and forth. _I'm leaving._

_What? But why?_

_Because of the fact that the longer I wait, the more time Arxa will have to fully break my mother's spirit. I cannot have that happen!_ Ryta snarled softly, her eyes narrowing in muted anger.

_I understand your anger Ryta but we can't just leave of our own accord. Uria would be furious and would probably send his mate out to bring us back_, Reath growled, his eyes glancing up to meet her own.

_Look I never asked either of you to come with me. Besides, this is my path now. I will see to my mother's return on my own accord._

With no further words, Ryta walked straight past her friends and began to ascend the steps that led to the world above. They knew not of her pain, of the anger she felt for not having stood up to Arxa when her father was killed. Sitedal would not have had to flee with her had she been stronger.

* * *

><p>The midday sun shone down upon the land as Ryta neared the familiar limestone rock facing that had been her home only a month prior. Her mind was steeled, ready for the challenge that confronting Arxa would result in. There was a chance that her theory was wrong; that her mother wouldn't break through and Arxa would kill her for coming onto lands where she should not have dared to venture on.<p>

Ryta's claws scraped the carved marble as she found her footing, having a rather difficult time of landing on the smooth surface where she could find no firm grip. Perhaps she was getting used to the wood-marble stranded floor that lined the base of every level in the Compound, or so she knew it to be called.

_You've come_. A raspy hiss vibrated through the air, a voice that Ryta knew without question to be that of Jormundur. His tone sounded like no other, the result of harsh snarling during his earliest years as he competed with Sitedal for affection.

_Jormundur, it has been too long_, Ryta replied with complete calmness, assured that her brother knew who she was and would not attack.

_Indeed, you've grown but you still remain the fragile dragoness you once were. _This time a different growl rippled back, known by Ryta to be that of Sitedal's mocking tone. He, like his brother, was also rather deep in his vocal wordings due to majority of growling upon his youth.

Slowly Jormundur emerged from the darker part of the cave, his scales dappled with beads of light from the outside. Although he and Sitedal were six months older than their sibling, they both viewed Ryta as a treasure from their mother. Now that same parent was facing a threat not physically but mentally that sought to wipe her from the pages of life and assume her existence.

_Have either of you seen Arxa? _Ryta inquired, certain that possibly at least one have been aware of her escape.

_She went out to hunt a few hours ago. Said something about how she received little food during her imprisonment and then took off. She should be back shortly_, Sitedal growled, remaining in the shadows as his purple eyes flickered with restrained love for his sister.

_I heard she complained a lot about the food she had been given as well_, Jormundur added, his scales reflecting the light and making the limestone glisten with brilliance.

Although Sitedal looked more like his mother in frame, his attitude was entirely from Mirage. His eyes shone with untapped wisdom, as had been the same for his father. Jormundur, on the other hand, was built much like Mirage but had more of Narssia's gentleness from her earlier years passed down onto him. True his fighting spirit was great but he chose carefully how to display his skills.

Suddenly a loud thump resounded near to the entrance of the cave, as Ryta had gone inward to speak with her brothers, and the young dragoness grew rigid with anticipation. Soon Arxa would be within her grip, unable to stop Narssia from escaping only to speak to her favorite child.

_For what reason have we allowed an intruder into our . . . _

Arxa stopped, driven to a loss for words as Ryta turned around to face her. Somehow the pesky dragon had survived the attack, but how was that possible? Come to think of it, her tail had all but been separated from her body but now she was waving the tip of it back and forth.

_How are you . . . ?_

_Alive?_ Ryta suggested, picking up on Arxa's loss for words and silently praising herself for it._ _Let's just say certain dragons can do powerful things when driven to the emotional vulnerability of grief.__

* * *

><p>Slowly awoken by Arxa's confusion and shock, Narssia found the strength to see that her daughter had come to confront the very heart of the darkness that bound her with its chains. The black dragoness was pleased but it would take more on Ryta's part to allow her to assume back control, given she even could.<p>

Arxa was, as Narssia found it, very confused. Her frame twitched with shock as she pondered her words in return to Ryta's confirmation that Pytris was dead and that Makiar was grieving the loss of her son at this present time. There was also the fact that Ryta had come alone. True it was not the safest idea for the young dragoness to have but if she wanted to do what Narssia thought she was then it made perfect sense and showed that even small changes could be seen by Ryta as to who was in charge of the body.

_Since when have you become so friendly with those traitors? _Arxa finally inquired.

_You call them traitors only because you don't know them like I do. Finca and Uria are honest dragons who want to put their pasts behind them and move on from the deaths of those that had been close to them._

Narssia sighed with joy. Her daughter was realizing what she needed to do so soon. Ryta was staying so calm too. Arxa wasn't as impressed though.

_Finca turned her own rider into a dragon to be her mate. How is that honest? And Uria gave up his own soul to be able to save his rider, only to have her break it to show her own misery and grief from her loss of her husband, an irritably annoying trait of the pathetic human race_, Arxa snarled, her eyes narrowing as she sensed that Narssia was beginning to stir up once more from the depths of her mind.

_Both Finca and Uria did what they had to in order to try and keep their closest friend safe. I see no dishonesty in that._

_Ha, you just aren't looking hard enough. Uria died once before to save the life of his human partner, yet chose to offer his soul for her life in the case you mentioned instead of dying a second time. Finca was the same. She tried to prevent Tamli from getting killed by Nira while he was human yet he still died, although it was through a disease that crippled him and brought about an emotional collapse._ Here Arxa cringed, squeezing her eyes shut as Narssia rammed against her presence with all the force she could gather.

_What about you, Arxa? You chose to invade my mother's mind just to fulfill a path of destruction that others before have failed to see through. Wherein lies your desire to do such to an innocent dragoness? _Ryta growled, realizing her closeness to her goal as Arxa shook her head in a mix of pain and disjointedness.

_I need no reason to take . . ._

A roar of pain stopped her words as Arxa lifted her head. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't focused on her physical sight. It was the mental battle that Narssia was waging with her that took all of her strength to keep control over.

_Jormundur, Sitedal, would you please leave our mother and I alone for a few moments? I'm sure it would greatly improve her capability to concentrate. _Ryta added a soft growl to the end, that growl making her words remarkably clear to her brothers that they were to leave quickly and find something to do for a few hours.

Arxa had now shut herself off from the physicality of the body which she held command over and was instead focusing on containing and subduing Narssia as much as she could so that she could at least finish a sentence without getting rammed into by mental force.

**_Let me loose! _**Narssia shrieked, keeping her thought strictly inside her own head as she battered Arxa with another wave of force that was proving its point.

Realizing there was little point in drawing it out much longer, Arxa finally complied and Narssia took full control. Her eyes opened just in time to see Jormundur and Sitedal take flight before Ryta spoke once more.

_Is it really you? _She asked, noticing her mother's yellow irises but not fully convinced.

_It's me, for now. _Narssia forced herself to give a simple growl of comfort to her daughter who now stood with silver tears of happiness dripping down her scaled cheeks.


	9. Acceptance

**Chapter 9-Acceptance**

_So I made it happen then_, Ryta commented as Narssia stared her daughter down with only small twitches of pain from where Arxa was beginning to build her strength back up.

_Made it happen? I don't understand . . ._

_I figured that if I could overwhelm Arxa then she would end up being so conflicted and confused that you would have no problems in breaking through. Now I see that actually worked as I had planned_, Ryta informed her mother.

_Of course. You figured out that your presence alone acts as a threat to her mental control over me. You've changed very much since that night when she killed your father. I'm quite proud of you. _Narssia growled softly, afraid that Arxa was trying to use her deep connection with her daughter to have her snap and loose it, thus destroying everything Ryta had done moments before to bring her to the surface again.

Sitting down, Narssia allowed herself a breath of tensed air. Ryta walked over and sat down beside her, lifting those warm azure blue eyes to her own eyes as she had done in the past before all of this had happened.

_I'm tired Ryta_, Narssia muttered, catching her daughter's gaze for a moment.

_I know. Mental battles are exhausting._

_No, I mean I'm tired. I've been trying to get out, fight my way, and I don't think I can do it anymore. I don't think I can hang on._ Her eyes dropped, exhaustion setting in as Arxa stewed with quiet anger.

_Sure you can_.

Ryta growled, trying to lift her mother's spirits but noticing Narssia's defeated look as her eyes met the yellow irises of the one who had given life to her and she looked away, ashamed of being so optimistic.

_You know what_, she hummed after a moment. _Let's go get some air. I know just the place._

Getting on her feet, she waited for her mother as Narssia slowly forced herself to stand. Her eyes seemed so hopeless, so lost. As if everything was falling down around her and all she could was hold on for dear life.

Ryta ignored the feeling in the back of her mind as she made her way to the entrance of the cave, a feeling that whispered to her that this might be the last time she would ever be with her mother again one on one. Of course that seemed too disheartened for her and so she put it out of her mind as Narssia followed along behind her as she leaped from the mouth of the cave and took to the air, winging her way to a very special place she had found with her mother months before.

* * *

><p>The gentle stream and windswept grass of the peaceful foot-and-a-half field that overlooked a deep gorge of unknown depth met the two dragons as they descended straight into the middle of it. Narssia's mood had brightened very little but Ryta could tell the difference was enough to make her mother look around with interested eyes.<p>

_You remember the last time we were here?_ The brown dragoness inquired as her mother's gaze met her own, a curious flicker to them that confused Ryta for a moment.

_Yes, I remember._ Narssia nodded in understanding, her eyes washing over the swaying grass and passing over the flowing brook that spilled out along the edge of the northern side, the gorge drop off to the south. _You were standing on the very edge of the field closest to the gorge. Like an idiot._

Ryta snorted, recalling the scene all too well in her mind. It seemed her mother was perking up some by just being here at least.

_You were asking me about why I had fallen in love with a dragon before your father. Asking me to tell you how he died._

_Remember what you said?_ Ryta questioned, her eyes watching her mother for fear that something could break them apart at any moment.

_I said I had been foolish and that he died of natural causes._

_No. Before that. _Here Ryta was testing Narssia. She knew of the events the morning before their trip to the field but how well did the black dragoness remember them.

Narssia looked away, absentminded for a moment as she searched through her memory. She didn't have much time to search before Ryta finally answered her own inquiry.

_You denied both my questions_, Ryta growled, her tone not fierce but reminding to her mother.

_I had been busy that morning. Jormundur was coming into his telekinesis and I feared what that might result from that. __Besides, you were barely able to fly and I knew I could keep your attention much easier if it was directed away from the painful inquires you wished to know of my earlier years before your father._

Narssia walked over to barely two steps away from the fall to the gorge, her eyes becoming filled with despair once more as she gritted her teeth together to mask the pain of Arxa becoming more active the longer she lingered in control.

_It seems like a million years ago_, Ryta commented as she advanced to join her mother, _the peace we had back then I mean._

Narssia paused before she spoke, still fighting against Arxa but only more subtle than previous battles waged between them. _A lifetime really._

_We made it through it, together_, the brown female hummed as she stopped beside the older dragon, Narssia to the right of her. _Made it through all the craziness, you and me, even if it wasn't always easy. We can make it through anything Mom._

_Even death?_ Narssia questioned, her own morality starting to become apparent as she was facing a foe she couldn't win against.

_Why not? _Ryta sighed.

_Because this isn't me, or rather isn't all of me now. It's not just my body anymore because of what Arxa has done with it and with me._ Narssia turned her gaze to her daughter, a sense of guilt in her eyes.

_No, it is you. Mother, I'm looking at you. _Ryta snapped back, her eyes flickering over to Narssia and staying there.

_You're looking at nothing more than a broken shell of who I once was_, Narssia growled.

_No, it's you. Look, I need you to keep fighting in there. Okay?_

_I can't._ Narssia blinked, feeling as if she was being caught in rapids and the water was slowing rising all the while she was trying to keep her head above the rushing liquid. _She's killing me and I can't hold on anymore Ryta._

_Yes, you can, Mother._ Ryta tightened her gaze as her mother blinked more forcefully, shaking her head slowly as she did so. _That's why you called out to me before the fight started. That's why you called me out alone._

Narssia's gaze hardened, her eyes locking onto her child like steel traps. _I called out to you because I knew you were easy to sway since you value the lives of those around you more than you do your own._

_Mother, that is not you!_ Ryta snarled as Narssia somehow fought back to the surface, having slipped for only a second and had Arxa speak through her.

_That's what I'm trying to get you to understand_, Narssia hissed as she snapped her eyes shut and clenched her teeth, nearly dropping to the grass but getting caught and steadied by her daughter who turned her around so that her back was to the gorge.

_Mother?_ Ryta growled as worry overtook her. _Stay with me. _

Narssia finally broke her grip on her mental pain and roared, the sound heartbreaking to her child as Ryta rested her head on her mother's left shoulder. Narssia finding barely the strength to lean her head on her daughter's right shoulder.

_Hey. Fight it, come on. I need you to fight it. I need you to fight it, Mother. _Ryta blinked, finding her eyes moist with unshed tears. _Come on, stay with me, Mom. Please?_

Narssia sighed as she drew the power from within herself to take a step back from her daughter, their snouts now nearly touching each other. _I'm sorry Ryta._

With that she turned, forcing herself into the air and landing on the brittle rock that descended to the gorge as Ryta roared out in shock before leaping over and trying to grasp a hold of her mother to pull her back up. Unfortunately Narssia was several thousands of pounds heavier than Ryta and such the brown dragoness only scraped futilely at the dirt that mixed in with the grass of the field.

_Pull yourself up, Mother! _Ryta begged as Narssia glanced up with calm eyes.

_Let me go Ryta, let it end._

_I can't do that_, her child growled, becoming emotional as she realized her mother's plan.

_You need to move on with your life._

_I need you to be there for me. Now, pull yourself up, please. _Ryta could hear her voice becoming emotional but she knew no other way to express her pain at the thought of her mother's death only minutes away.

_You're going to have to carry on for the both of us, Ryta. Okay? _Ryta nodded slightly, blinking away tears as they invaded her view of her mother. _You tell your brothers I love them. Take care of those that you hold precious in your sight. You fight the good fight. You've always been everything that's good in this world._

_Mother_, the brown dragon moaned, sniffling as she could barely keep herself together to even say anything.

_And I have a feeling this world has seen nothing from you yet._

_I can't do this without you._ Again Ryta blinked away her tears, starting to get annoyed by the faint film of water that obscured her finale views of Narssia.

_You can do anything Ryta. Anything. Remember that. _Narssia paused for a moment, looking up into the tear-filled eyes of her daughter. Saying goodbye was harder than she had thought it would be but it had to be done, for both their sakes. _I love you._

_Mother?_ Ryta questioned as Narssia glanced up at her with expectation. Finding no cue as to when she was to speak next, Ryta whispered her last fours words to the black dragoness carefully and also painfully emotional._ _I love you, Mom.__

With that having been said, Narssia released her mental hold on the dirt and began to slide down the steep drop to the gorge, her eyes looking up at Ryta as her daughter watched with tears streaming down her small cheeks.

About halfway down, the black dragoness gave up her mental hold on Arxa and the dragoness spirit born of magic took back control of the body. She did lay in the dark dirt for some time while Ryta's shrill roars of sorrow split the air but eventually the young dragon left and she took to the air to go find Sitedal and Jormundur. Their mother had given her free reign now and it pleased Arxa that she was no longer having to fight a presence that was as annoying as she was mighty.

Lifting her snout to the clouds above, Arxa howled in joy for the first time in a long while. Her mind was as clear and cold as it should have been right after the night she had killed Raxmon and taken over Narssia for the first time. The dragoness had found strength to combat her then, had a purpose to explain her resentfulness and lack of cooperation with Arxa and with the power of the Orichalcos.

Whatever that purpose had been, it was gone now. Only she was left.


	10. Uncovering Truth

**Chapter 10-Uncovering Truth**

Finca finally took time to speak to her daughter as preparations for Pytris' funeral were finally all but completed. She found Verdra waiting for her at a corner that looked as if it had been broken apart during Arxa's escape.

_Where's Ryta? _The white dragoness asked as her eyes scanned the smooth walls as Makiar's fury pounded in her ears from having heard it constantly during the day.

_She left already to go find Arxa. I haven't heard from her . . ._

The mighty _whoosh _of Ryta's wings rippled off the walls as the two dragons heard her land and begin to descend the many steps that lined the endless entry hall of the Corridor. Finca snorted in mute anger, realizing that she must have left without permission. There would be consequences to pay for her actions but not right now, not when she was so emotional distressed.

_Don't say anything to her_, Finca hissed, her voice barely above a whisper as Verdra nodded in agreement and understanding. _I will speak._

_You know nothing of what she's gone through_, Verdra snarled, thinking there was a limit to her mother's mental observation skills.

_I beg to differ. Ryta is hurt now, feels she has nothing left anymore. I was once that way as well._

_You were?_ Verdra growled with skepticism._ I don't believe it._

Finca sighed, her eyes glancing up the stairs that Ryta was walking down. _I will tell you later._

The black hatchling snorted in disgust and turned to leave when Ryta appeared before them, her eyes soft with still fresh tears that had yet to be shed. Her gaze eventually fell on Finca and a brief light glimmered in her eyes but faded quickly as Verdra snarled with anger at her disappearance.

_I see you've returned_, Finca hummed in pleasure as Ryta refocused her attention on the white dragoness.

Verdra gave another growl of annoyance before she walked into the darkness that extended from one of the columns that was now scarred with a deep gash, interrupting the pattern of the walls.

_With that gone_, Finca commented as she resumed speaking, _I want to know what happened._

Ryta swallowed, inhaling deeply from her nostrils as she struggled to speak. It was certainly more difficult to talk about what had occurred between Narssia and herself then she had thought it would have been.

_S-she gave up . . . Arxa took back c-control. _

Finca could tell Ryta was emotional over this and she knew it was hard for the young dragoness to explain what had happened. It seemed that not so long ago she had felt the same way. That had been . . . She couldn't bring herself to remember what caused her time of mourning.

_I understand. You don't have to go any further Ryta._

_I need to explain it, somehow. I can't just stand here and think about it, think about her, think about what happened._ Ryta snarled as she closed her eyes and twisted her head away from Finca.

Finca gave a growl of sympathy. _I understand your sadness and anger. I felt it before, twice to be exact._

_Twice?_ Ryta didn't open her eyes as her voice suggested surprise.

_My brother was killed when we were receiving training from the dragon Nor'ac. He went too far and aggravated the older dragon into a violent rage. This, of course, resulted in the death of my younger sibling._

_Was he a white dragon as well?_ The brown dragoness inquired.

_No, he was black with twilight grey eyes. _Finca sighed, steeling herself for what she would speak of next. _Then came the death of my mate, Tamli Nekita. He died of a disease which . . ._

_Stripped his emotional control? I heard of that from Arxa._

_Heard of it from . . . ? How did she know of this?_

Anger briefly rose into Finca's words but she controlled herself before speaking again. _You can tell me if you want._

_She wanted to explain the dishonesty of the dragon race through both you and Uria_, Ryta growled, opening her eyes and bringing her gaze to meet Finca's, whose eyes were now closed.

_Given her violent nature I'm not surprised. Narssia never was a calm and . . ._

Finca stopped, breaking her sentence off as Ryta's eyes clouded with tears. Snapping her eyes shut once more, the brown female growled softly, the behavioral expression full of her emotion.

_Forgive me, that was uncalled for. Your mother was a wonderful dragon . . ._

_Is a wonderful dragon! _Ryta roared, baring her teeth as her eyes, having opened upon hearing Finca's words, lapped with anger. _She is still alive in that body, one way or another. _

_No dragon's soul can exist for long without a host. That host is either its heart-of-hearts or its body. Narssia has neither because of her circumstances._

_That isn't true. My mother is alive._ Ryta seemed to be denying the very truth that Finca knew with complete certainty.

The white female swept her gaze around the floral walls, the tip of her tail twitching like a sensor of thoughts. Four long minutes went by and Ryta stirred uncomfortably, never sitting down until Finca, at last, sighed and motioned for her to follow.

The path was not through the stairwell which would have taken them to where Arxa had escaped, but instead through a long corridor that seemed to be unending. Step after step led the two only further into darkness, something that slightly pleased Finca as it drove away thoughts of her dead mate. Darkness had always done that to her, of why she was not certain but she felt that it was because of the fact that Tamli had represented light in her shadowed world and that without him there was no light to guide her path. True he had also sometimes been her darkness but that had been what had made them a great pair, the fact that they were opposites and well-balanced.

_Do you know the story of the humans down here? _She asked Ryta as the young dragoness kept pace with her rather well.

_I can't say I do. Enlighten me then._

Finca snorted in amusement, smoke flaring from her nostrils for a brief second. _You seem so eager. _She sighed as they rounded a corner, approaching steps that gradually sloped downward. _If only I had your attitude when I was younger. Perhaps my brother wouldn't have died then. Perhaps my mate would still be here, with me._

_You can't blame yourself for what happened in the past._ Ryta growled, slinking back as the walls thinned and she could no longer stay beside Finca.

_Oh, but I can. I can and I do, every day. _Finca sighed, dropping her eyes to the floor as she lowered her shoulders in preparation for the descent that would come.

Ryta hesitated before she spoke once more, fresh tears still lurking in the corners of her eyes. _Tell me about him._

Finca was taken by surprise. _About who? _

_About your mate, Tamli Nekita._


	11. Memories Unspoken

**Chapter 11-Memories Unspoken**

Finca was in complete shock as Ryta repeated the name of her dead mate. In the slight raspy voice of the young dragoness Tamli's name sounded so unnatural, as if his name was never used in the more modern era of their kind.

In truth his name had been used only once during the history of the dragon race. That, of course, had been when she had turned him so that they could be forever mates. _Tamli. _She muttered the word slowly in her mind, wincing only faintly as the thought of him stirred to the surface her emotional pain from his death.

_He was a great rider . . ._

_No, after that. When he was a dragon. When he was your mate._ Ryta fixed a single eye on her as they stopped and Finca turned slightly to better view the younger female.

_We bore three hatchlings from our first clutch, two of which died before they turned one year old. Rados, our son from the first batch of eggs, is still alive and, last I heard, was with his mate in seclusion._

_That's a start, go on._ Ryta seemed to be testing her, forcing Finca to reopen painful wounds that she had hoped would seal up and be forgotten.

But how could those memories of her time with Tamli just vanish? There was no way, apart from having her memory wiped and then never regained. That wasn't something she wanted to go through however. She stiffened for a moment before continuing, her eyes waxy as she made herself revisit the time of his death and the months leading up to it.

* * *

><p>When she finished her explanation, Ryta was silent. That shouldn't have surprised her yet it had. For the dragon that the young brown female was before her she was surprisingly at a loss for words when Finca had believed she would have had some comment on it. At least that had been her thought before Ryta had fallen silent during her long and painful trip back through closed doors in her mind.<p>

_Say something_, Finca barely whispered, hoping that she hadn't scared the younger dragon into a state of shock so deep that it was impossible to recover from. _Say anything, just let me know you're . . . _

She couldn't bare to finish her sentence. Finca had wanted to say 'let me know you're not comatose after what I told you' but the words had caught in her throat. Held back by her own sickening feelings of loss, the dragoness felt her eyes fill with tears as she tore open every memory of Tamli she had in her mind. If the grief drove her mad then so be it, but at least she would die thinking of him.

Finally Ryta blinked, the first glimpse of life Finca saw in her after what had been said. The young female seemed overcome by emotion as she lowered her head and rested it against her chest, her body trembling as audible sobs racked Finca and nearly broke her heart.

What had she been thinking? Tell Ryta of her own loss to somehow lessen the pain that now threatened to overtake the strong hatchling? Why hadn't she realized it when she had first started to explain? Finca sighed in defeat and sat down, fearing she would become emotional as well as she continued to dive deeper into her memories of her deceased mate.

_You know, I never thought that a dragon could live through having its own mother or father ripped from it at a young age but after having heard what you said, I can't begin to imagine your own pain. Not only do you grieve the loss of Tamli but also the loss of Silver and Szara. Your worry for the egg you bestowed upon Rados and Roylzen. Truly a dragoness feels no greater pain then what you have suffered in the past five years._

_Could I interest you in discussing this further in the private of my chamber?_ Finca growled in question, hoping to gain deeper insight into what Ryta thought.

Ryta growled and gave a shallow nod, indicating her willingness to follow Finca. _It was a start_, Finca silently thought as she turned and began to make her way toward her personal chamber. It pained her that she would probably never return to the small cavern where she had bore hatchlings with Tamli and then months later watched him waste away before her eyes. At least the place had not become witness to his death, of that she was glad.

Only a few moments passed before the two dragons arrived at the small, burrowed out cave that was now Finca's home. Her own cave lay miles away, no doubt now home to another dragon. Ryta hesitated as Finca entered, not wanting to delay any longer.

The cave was simple. Only a broken sword lay in its center as the walls shimmered with tiny gemstones. It seemed as if the interior could hold as many as five adult dragons the size of Finca, but that was simply a guess. A small, thin layer of straw lay mostly in the corner of the farthest wall from them, no question whose sleeping quarters it was.

_I'm impressed_, Ryta growled as her eyes scanned the room, Finca walking over to where the sword lay.

Her eyes glanced over the still gleaming metal as Finca silently growled. She had broken this sword, the sword of her rider and her mate, months before but yet it still shone. How was that possible?

_Finca? You okay? You seem . . ._

_I'm fine_, she hissed, baring her teeth as Ryta was only inches from her folded left wing. _I'm fine._

Ryta wasn't as convinced as Finca thought she was. With one last look around the room, the brown dragoness settled her eyes completely on the distraught female she barely knew.

_You are not okay, Finca. You're . . . You seem to be in pain and I want to know why._

_I'm not!_ Finca roared, the sound making Ryta shrink back. _Everything is fine._

She was trembling now, her teeth clenched sharply to avoid having another outburst like before. Finca knew Ryta was right but nothing felt wrong. Nothing seemed out of place so it made no sense.

Ryta finally drew the courage to advance and stopped only when her snout was barely inches from Finca's own. _Tell me the truth. You're lying to yourself. I know it._

Finca glanced away, shadowing her eyes in the darkness of her cave. Very little light entered her gloomy home, not that it mattered anyway as she was mostly not in her chamber during the day. The only time that had been untrue was when she had been cleared from receiving medical attention following her attack by Jormundur and had been led to her new home.

_Perhaps I am lying to myself_, Finca finally spat, her teeth still tightly clenched together into a snarl, _but that doesn't give you the right to assume such and then act on it. _

_Maybe it does._ Ryta snorted, her nostrils flaring as Finca stared her down with utter disgust.

Why was she as angry as she was? Ryta had witnessed her mother surrender control to the darkness inside, that was enough reason for a calm approach. Finca shook her head. She wasn't thinking straight. She was blaming Ryta for having sent her through the painful memories of her former life with Tamli. That life was over now and there was no going back.

_As the superior dragon here I . . . _Her voice caught and strangled for a moment as Finca unclenched her teeth and lowered her gums back over them. _I am sorry for treating you as I have. The pain you're going through right now is unbearable, believe me, but you will rise from it and become stronger than before._

Was this how it had felt to Tamli after she had rebuffed him following the hatching of their first clutch? Finca wondered. Had she really been that heartless to him, after all they had gone through? Why had he continued to trust her, to believe her after how she had treated him?

_I believe those words are sincere but I want to know why you lashed out at me_, Ryta sighed as Finca lowered her head in shame.

It took her several minutes for Finca to regain her composer. Even longer to find the strength to speak. Could she even go through with this? Would it make any difference or was Ryta lying to her about her words being sincere? There was only one way to find out but Finca wasn't sure if she was ready to say anything yet.

_Look I know if your just trying to . . . _Ryta began, trying to make up for what she had said to the older dragoness.

_I'm not hiding anything, not anymore. The old life I had is gone now. I have to accept that. Tamli is dead and he will not return._

Finca found her voice cracked on the last word and she fell silent for several more moments. Ryta looked at her earnestly as if expecting more from her but when that did not happen the hatchling turned her gaze away.

**_Tamli_**, Finca thought in the peaceful silence. **_If you can hear me let me know. I just need a sign, a . . . proof that you're really dead. Makiar told me but it doesn't feel right, can't be true._**

The silence around them was deafening. Neither dragoness spoke until Finca, from the corner of her right eye, saw a flurry of light. She recognized the bioluminescent display to be that of a favorite of Tamli's during the cold nights when the fog was thick and the moon hidden in wraps of dense grey bindings.

_Did you see that?_ She asked Ryta as the brown female glanced back her way.

_See what?_

_A flurry of light from outside the room._

_No._

Finca was slightly discouraged. _But how couldn't you . . ._

_Listen_, Ryta began, her voice dropping into the same no-nonsense tone that Narssia used often, _I know you said you saw something but think about where we are. Everything needs light to see down here so maybe it was just a passing dragon._

_He or she would have spoke_, Finca snapped back, feeling her anger peak again and struggled to calm herself back down.

_Unless the light blinded the dragon and it couldn't see._

_You have a point. Any other theories?_

_Theories?_ Ryta snorted, appalled._ _You think these are theories I'm coming up with?__

_What else could they be? Besides, almost no other dragons come down here._

_It could have been an outsider then._

_What?_

_A rouge, a newcomer, I don't know._

_Join my confusion then_, Finca sighed before she suddenly stiffened in terror.

Again from the corner of her eye a flash of light burst into view. It danced for several moments then faded, but not before giving Finca a glimpse of the dragon causing it. Two purple eyes stared back at her, white scales illuminated by the brilliant flickering around its body. There was no other dragon that had such depth to its eyes and it had gazed at her with complete calmness.

_Tell me you saw that_, Finca insisted as Ryta finally focused those yellow eyes of hers onto Finca's face.

_I told you I saw nothing and I will say it again, I saw nothing behind you that would indicate another living being. You're disorientated, confused by the day's events._

_I am not. I saw something, another dragon. _Finca knew her voice betrayed her and indicated she was pleading despite her best efforts.

_Look_, Ryta sighed. _I'm not saying you're wrong but I honestly saw nothing behind you. _

Finca quivered in anger. She had to make Ryta understand but how? The dragoness told her that there was nothing behind her yet Finca had seen something, of that she was sure. If it was what she thought it might be from having seen what she saw upon the last light display then she more in fear then anything. Her mate was dead yet she had seen him as clearly as day in the light.

As if on cue, the light began again. Tamli, if it was indeed him, once more showed himself to her although now moved toward her. If Ryta couldn't see this then she was blind.

**Peace come to you daughter of Mirage**, the ghostlike version of Tamli spoke to her solely.

_Are you . . . ?_

**Your deceased mate? No, merely a tool that he chose to use. He wants to speak with you.**

_With me? How? _Finca growled.

**It is a difficult process for the living, however, he believes it can be done because of his state.**

_You mean the fact that he's dead._

**Precisely.**

With that the figure turned to walk away, light still illuminating the entire area from her cave to the outside hall. Finca hesitated for a moment before she called out for future instruction on how to reach out to Tamli.

**He will seek you when he is able**, the spirit responded, not stopping as it continued its slow walk back into the shadows that grew even as its light was as bright as ever.

_Wait_, Finca growled. _What do you mean by when he is able? Was he somehow hurt?_

**No dragon can be hurt once the body is broken from its spirit. Should you have any further questions it would be wise to wait for him.**

_So I can ask him and let you just go without having been told how he is! _Finca snarled, realizing her anger was creeping back up but she didn't care. She'd get information one way or another out of this presence that seemed to know her mate.

**My task**, began the spirit, **is not to jeopardize the mission at hand. Your reason for wishing to know more is valid yet I have nothing more I can say without breaking my vow of silence to him.**

_You don't even speak his name. What is wrong with you?_

**That question should be applied to you first**, the ghost replied, its tone never rising, yet still projecting its anger. **You refuse to speak the name of your mate even after six years following his death.**

_That is different_, Finca growled, finding it hard to control her rage over the lack of answers she was receiving.

**Should it be? Your refusing to say his name is the same as my reason to refer to him by anything other than by how you once spoke of him.**

_You're making no sense! _Finca roared, baring her teeth as her anger took hold and she snapped out at the translucent figure that looked so much like Tamli.

The spirit did not respond and instead dissipated into particles of shining silver specks. Finca stared for a long while at the spot where it had stopped to say its final words but did not move until Ryta finally called out to her.

_You've lost your mind_, she growled. _What was that about you roaring when nothing is in front of you? I don't understand any of what you said and I don't want to know._

_I . . . Oh never mind. We should go and find Verdra, get her input on your situation._

_We can't_, Ryta admitted. _Makiar told me, while you were snapping at open air, that she left._

_Left? How is that possible? Why would she . . . ?_

_I don't know but we would be wise to go and seek the powerful dragoness who informed me of this. Perhaps she has an idea of where Verdra went? _Ryta suggested as Finca weighed her options. Who knew where her daughter had went? If anything, Makiar should be the one she turned to.

_All right_, she finally growled, her eyes locking with Ryta's. _We'll go find Makiar and ask her on this. I can't believe it though._

_Verdra just left, or at least that's what Makiar told me. You have any reason to doubt?_ Ryta asked as they left the room, Finca casting one last glance at the broken sword of Tamli's that held so many memories for her.

_My closest friend? No. My own daughter not telling anyone about this? Yes, considering what she's been through with having been self-taught how to survive on her own._

_You don't even trust your own daughter, how poetic_, Ryta snorted as she led Finca back the way they came.

_The same could be said for you._

_Oh, really? _Ryta snorted once more, amused.

_You let yourself get into bigger things than you could have imagined when you confronted Arxa on her own turf. You could have been killed!_

_I was aware of the risks but I had to see Narssia one last time. It will take some getting used to, but I will soon forget any love I had for her as Arxa is now the only thing in that body._

_I didn't know you were so disgusted with Arxa as to call her a 'thing'_, Finca growled, trying to get her mind off Tamli and on the fact that her daughter was now missing.

Ryta did not respond, instead picking up her pace. She wouldn't say she was mad at Finca but she was disappointed in herself. She spoke too kindly of Arxa even by what she had just said. That parasite was nothing more than an invader into the lives of her mother and her siblings, not to mention herself. The quicker Makiar was found and Verdra recovered then the better.


	12. Countering the Darkness

**Chapter 12-Countering the Darkness**

Verdra had indeed escaped from the underground that had held her captive. She had longed for freedom since coming to the darkness, a feeling she had never imagined she would have felt. She loved her mother and embraced her newfound friends with dire respect but she had grown up in light and had trained herself based upon the sun's rays.

Now as she leveled out above the greenery below her, Verdra felt calm for the first time since having met her mother. True, she loved the white dragoness but it didn't feel right to love a dragon she barely knew. That feeling could have been said by Ryta over Pytris, or by her own mother over her mate, Tamli. Verdra didn't know much about Tamli but she was certain, from the way Finca talked, that his life had been selfless.

As a dense fog drew closer to her, Verdra showed only limited signs of panic. She knew her mother's story about what had happened to her in a fog but Verdra was certain she would not meet the same fate. Her reflexes were sharper and her mind keener than her mother's, which made sense for the older dragon to have been attacked.

The fog grew ticker, as if willing her to show some sign of panic. Verdra wasn't amused and continued to fly as she used her mind to help navigate. That was another difference between Finca and herself. The older dragoness relied too much on her sight to help see, while forgetting about the strength of a dragon's mind.

A chill descended on her scales and Verdra shook her head. She was not excited by this as some younger dragon might be. The land had raised her, shaped her into the powerful beast she was. Verdra had not forgot that during her time in the underground. She would always be a wild dragon at heart, that could never be changed. Had the circumstances around her hatching been different then she would have been brought up in another manner.

The chill grew stronger, seeping into her bones. There was little cause to worry, she told herself, such things were only the onset of winter vastly approaching. A sudden rush of wind across the middle of her back drew Verdra back to the situation at hand. She was alone, cloaked in a dense fog, and unable to make out anything around her. Finally she halted in her flight and closed her eyes, projecting her senses as far as she could. There was little around her. Trees and rocks mostly, and the fog.

Another gust of wind stirred by her and Verdra turned to snap at it but by the time she had turned around, there was nothing before her. Could it be just her mind playing tricks on her? A stronger gale brushed her shoulder and Verdra flapped her wings, banking to the left and coasting downward. Certainly there was a way out of the fog now.

A deep growl echoed from behind and Verdra halted, turning her head. She still could see nothing but that did not mean anything now. There was _something_ behind her, that she was certain. The growl grew louder and Verdra fought the urge to breathe fire into the dense greyness that enfolded her.

Grey talons, three on each foot, dropped from above and sank into her shoulder blades. The pain caused her to jerk away and skin was ripped from the areas. Her predator was closer than ever now, could possibly smell the blood as it rolled down her back. She certainly could and it made her uneasy, afraid of what could come next.

The twin pair of talons returned, but this time she fought back. Fire rained from her maw and the beast that was attacking her drew back its weapons with a harsh shriek. Apparently getting attacked had not been on its ideal list of how to finish her off.

Bracing herself, Verdra shoved herself upward and quickly climbed through the smoky atmosphere. The creature that was attacking her must be the reason for the unusual fog, she thought as her wings grew strained and her shoulders throbbed. Eventually she stopped and hung there, catching her breath and inhaling as much oxygen as she could.

_I give you credit for surviving this long_, came the raspy, husky mental voice of the one she believed to be attacking her.

_Who are you? _Verdra asked, waiting answers greater than anything else for the most recent events.

_If I told you that then you would have to die!_ The response filled her with dread and Verdra quivered with unease. The voice continued, _You know not of what I am, nor who I am. I remain forever lost within the fog, my own blessing becoming a curse. No dragon can see me as I blend with who I am, with this environment . . ._

The dragon, it was safe to assume that, took a swipe at Verdra and she executed a tight backwards loop that allowed for her to remain unharmed. That same growl rippled through the air and she knew that her assailant was now irritated.

Before Verdra could do anymore flight maneuvers, however, she was struck with, what seemed to her, a fireball in the dead center of her back. Pain flooded her senses and she struggled to remain conscious. A fierce roar, one of power and might, spilt the fog and Verdra realized what she was doing. Irritation on its own could be enough to drive a dragon to madness but when combined with unwillingness formed a combination that simply took every shred of sanity in the mind of the powerful beast and threw it away. The result was deadly and fatal to almost all dragons who lived that long.

Another fireball pelted into her back and Verdra held back the shriek that would have rippled from her jaws. If she died then, hopefully, there would be one less dragon for her mother to worry about while stopping Arxa because this attacker of hers was _going_ to be defeated.

The talons returned and this time slashed and scraped at her back and sides, inflicting terrible damage. Hope was fading fast but Verdra knew her plan and trusted it completely. Using some of her remaining strength, she threw herself into a spin and knew that the other dragon would follow. Her speculation was right because soon enough she could see a grey dragon with yellow eyes trailing right along behind her.

Frustration clouded her mind as Verdra continued to spin. How was she to get behind the dragon when it followed her? Upon a closer look, she saw the boxier shape of its snout and the muscular fore taloned legs that clearly displayed a male of mating age. So the dragon following her was of the opposite gender then? Why would he attack her?

Verdra stopped in her fleeing flight and waited as the male approached on silent wings. She could make him out now in the fog, his eyes giving him away. While she held fast in her position, determined to inflict as much damage as possible to him, she noticed that he was slowing down, taking greater distances before flapping his wings. Either he had caught onto her plan or he was simply uncertain of her actions. She hoped for the latter really as giving away her actions would provoke him greater then before. The young dragon finally drifted within feet of her and Verdra held back the chuckle that resounded deeply in her heart; this was it. The time was now.

Her wings rushed forward with speed unequal to anything that the newcomer male had shown and Verdra reached him within seconds. Her fangs and claws quivered with madness as she lunged to tear at him, only to be repulsed by a large gust of wind sent her way by him with no warning. The gale momentarily caused her to close her eyes and lose focus but that was when he truly began the attack.

His claws rained heavily upon all parts of her, always moving. Bursts of wind collided with her scales and moved along them, ripping several scales from their places and allowing thin trails of blood to ooze over her delicate protection, causing Verdra to flinch from the pain and reveal that her wings were mostly untouched. Such muscle was then ripped and tore at until the once beautiful membrane hung in strips from her wing frame.

Verdra cried out in pain as she kept her eyes closed for her own sake. Weakness was rushing in on her, making her body feel unnaturally heavy. It was all she could do to stay afloat as the grey dragon tore mercilessly at her from snout to tail and everywhere in between.

One blow from his tail to the side of her head was enough, after all she had endured, to cause Verdra to lose consciousness and begin a plummet downward spiral toward the ground. Nothing could pull her out of it. Nothing was there to right her fall . . .

The sudden sensation of being caught by something arose Verdra back to consciousness and she glanced wearily up to find that a pair of three taloned fore legs had caught her and were carrying her full weight. The scales that she could see were not gray but instead black and it warmed her heart slightly.

Gradually the fog receded the more they flew away from the area. The touchdown Verdra did not feel, nor the fact that the other dragon carefully laid her out on the grass under the branches of a pine tree which was more than a hundred years old. She did feel it when the newcomer urged her awake and presented her with a leaf, in which held a small amount of water. He helped her lift her head high enough to drink it and then left her alone for several moments while he flew off to possibly hunt. Verdra finally succumbed to her weakness once more and drifted back to sleep, hoping that she would wake up again.

* * *

><p><em>Wake up<em>, a clearly masculine tone of dragonic voice urged her as Verdra fought to the surface and opened her eyes to find that she had not moved the entire night and that the black dragon was back, his warm purple eyes on her. _I brought comfort of food to you, injured one._

**_Food?_** Verdra shook her head, regretting such a decision as pain flared from every part of her body and left her tense for several moments. She was alive. She had survived the attack. The realization of such caused her to remember that she had eaten nothing since she had left, intending to hunt before she returned to the darkness of the underground world.

The new dragon was gazing at her calmly and Verdra realized that he must be awaiting an answer. _What type? _Was the first question to come to mind for her and the male chuckled.

_Deer, sick one. _He noted her injuries with extreme carefulness. _What attacked you?_

_A dragon_, Verdra muttered as she sniffed the lump of brown fur as he pushed it toward her. _Grey scales and the darkest demeanor I have ever seen from a dragon before._

The male seemed to quiet for a moment and look away as she began to take small bites of the freshly caught deer that he had caught for her. Half the brown mass had she eaten already before her new friend spoke again. His voice seemed softer, gentler then before. Verdra was unsure of the dragon's tone at first when he spoke but understood his uncertainty after a moment, realizing that the dragon who had attacked her was related to the one who stood before her.

_I know the dragon who attacked you_, the black male growled softly. _He is related to me, related to another young dragon that I think you know._

_Who?_ Verdra asked, taking another bite of the deer and swallowing it whole, then licking her jaws clean.

_Ryta, and I am . . . _

The screech of one of the older dragon from the Compound, Verdra was not sure which one, split the air. The male who had saved her life raised a wing to shield her, growling fiercely. Verdra wanted to tell him to go and save himself but, at the same time, did not want him to leave her this soon.

_Sitedal? _Ryta, Verdra was sure that it was her, asked as two sets of _thumps_ resounded through the grass and reached her. _How? Who did this?_

Sitedal must have replied but Verdra did not hear it, instead hearing the loud growl of one of the adult dragons and a snarl come from the one who had saved her. Ryta sighed and Sitedal lifted his wing to reveal Verdra's frame to those who had come to save her.

_Gentle_, Sitedal hissed as Uria lifted her onto his back and Verdra cringed in pain, clenching her teeth together to keep from shrieking in agony.

Sitedal hissed again, louder then before, as Verdra closed her eyes to further ward off the pain. The black dragon must have taken it as a sign of her being hurt for he snapped out at Uria, warning the older dragon not to harm her.

_What use is it to you what I do with her? _Uria finally snarled in reply, baring his teeth and causing Sitedal to retreat a step.

_I only wish to see her unharmed. Jormundur nearly killed her, nearly killed me. I want only to see that she is taken care of until she heals completely . . ._

_And you think you can provide that for her?_ Uria shrieked, his voice sinking into the tone he had once held while the Orichalcos had controlled him. _You have no medical supplies, no knowledge of dragon anatomy. You are a disgrace to all living dragons among us!_

_Uria, stop it!_ Ryta snarled, her eyes flickering with anger kept firmly in check. _Sitedal, we want what you want for her, trust me. Medical healing provides a faster recovery then what is commonplace for dragons of caves._

Sitedal growled sharply but Verdra felt Uria flare his wings and flap them once to make sure she was safety secure on his back, which she was. The red dragon gave one more gentle flap before shoving himself into the air. The shock rattled her system, made it feel as if all her bones were nothing. The pain that assaulted Verdra overcame her and as she faded to unconscious she thought only of one thing: how she had grown to trust Sitedal in the short time she had known him.


	13. Wounds of the Heart

**Chapter 13-Wounds of the Heart**

Finca sat completely straight, her back pressed tightly against the wall behind her as Makiar and herself awaited the prognosis about her daughter from Aurelia. It was safe to say that Finca did not have full trust in the human to which her daughter's life hung before. Unease worked its way into her mind and the white dragoness twitched with discomfort. Makiar simply gazed in her direction and gave a soft growl of encouragement. The red dragoness knew her almost better then anyone else did so such a response was normal.

Finally, entering the main corridor from a small, branched off hallway, Aurelia came into view. Her black hair was pulled back into a crudely done ponytail and the white smock that covered her brown clothing was covered in splatters of red. It was all Finca could do not to start an uproar. That blood must be from her daughter, there was no other way around it.

_How is she? _Makiar asked as Aurelia walked over and took a seat on the floor before both of them. _Any change? Any idea of how bad her injuries are?_

Finca clenched her teeth, fighting back the rage that began to pound freely in her head. Makiar had no right to speak for her yet there was no idea what she might say. In that sense, the dragoness was wise to speak for her friend. Aurelia simply collected her hands together and sighed deeply, further irritating Finca.

_Answer her question_, she hissed raspily, straining her voice to make the rage less noticeable, however such effort failed because Aurelia stiffened some. _We both require an answer, Aurelia._

"Verdra is . . . not doing well. The strain on her body from Uria's flight has led to such protective measures that she has placed herself into a coma . . ."

_You dare to place blame upon Uria for this! _Finca knew her rage was seething from her but it was all she could do to just sit there and not rip the frail human before her into ribbons of flesh. _The traitor dragon, Jormundur, is the one behind it. I've heard what went on from Ryta, discovered that her own brother tried to kill my child. He nearly killed me!_

"I understand Finca. I was not trying to . . ."

_To what, human? I can rip you apart in seconds depending on your answer. _Finca snorted, smoke rising into the air for greater effect to her words. She was not denying her nature anymore, nor would have Makiar had it been her who was in that room.

Makiar glanced briefly at her but said nothing. Finca knew the dragoness well enough to understand her concern yet this was a matter for only herself, not for another to take as their own. Verdra was her daughter and she wanted to know how she was doing.

"Multiple puncture wounds, a large portion of scales ripped off, a few ribs cracked, severe blood loss . . . I'm surprised she's still alive," Aurelia answered in calmness as she clenched her hands tightly together to ward off from the cold that had descended upon her bare skin.

Finca sighed, completely at a loss of words. What to say in response to that? Her daughter should not even be alive, not after those wounds. She had barely survived herself so what was the odds of Verdra making it as well?

_Can I see her?_

"Of course, Finca." Aurelia gave a small smile as they got to their feet and Finca followed her into the corridor. "I would never deny you of a chance like that."

* * *

><p>The small room that Finca was led into had barely enough room for both her and Verdra. Her youngest lay barely moving, a fluid seeping into her by way of her nostrils. <strong>How could this have gotten so bad? <strong>Finca wondered as she scanned the fragmented facial features of her daughter. Verdra was supposed to be a guiding light to all dragons but now . . .

"I know it's hard to look at her," Aurelia whispered as she lay a hand on Finca's shoulder, "but she'll come around."

_How do you know that? _Finca could barely breathe let alone speak but the question had to asked. _She's in a coma so how do you know she'll live!_

"Call it a guess." Aurelia smiled softly before excusing herself from the room and leaving Finca alone to be with her daughter.

The few steps needed to reach Verdra's side were painful for Finca. Her child was in this because of her, because she had not paid enough attention to making up for months Verdra spent alone in the wild by herself. This was her fault. All of it was her fault. Finca collapsed to the floor next to Verdra and drew a pained breath. How could she ever forgive herself if her sweet child died before her own eyes?

Finca spent hours at Verdra's side, whispering tender words to her unconscious daughter. Aurelia came by on occasion but Finca would simply request that she leave. The pain was so raw in her chest, so constricting that it reminded her of losing Tamli. He had been gone now for more than six years and yet the pain was as real as it had been when he died laying next to her. How had she gone on then? How could she go on now? Finca watched the chest of her child slowly rise and fall, each movement more precious than the last in her eyes. Verdra was more then just her daughter. She was a legacy of future dragons from the line of the great Nor'ac.

As night fell upon the land Finca remained where she was. She had gone for hours without food or water nor rest. Verdra would make it, she promised herself as her eyes grew heavy. Finca growled and jerked her head, fighting the natural instinct of sleep. Sleep would come only after her daughter reawakened to the world once more. A simple twitch caused the dragoness to redirect her attention for a moment to a small white speck that seemed brighter then normal on one of the walls. Her curiosity aroused, Finca stood for the first time in more then ten hours. She could instantly feel the pressure returning to her bones and several of them popped and cracked loudly.

She snorted in mock amusement before arching her back and rolling her massive shoulders. For some reason the speck on the wall grew larger, more brighter. This was not common at all! Finca growled softly and stared at the center of the expanding circle, her gaze unmoving.

_The darkness lies within the light._

Those six words echoed from deep in her very soul and Finca trembled. Tamli had once spoken that to her, as a promise of sorts. Could he be trying to reach her now? To open their connection after years of separation due to his death?

_Tamli_, she whispered faintly, _if it is you then give me a sign. Let me know what truth my heart speaks to me of and show yourself._

The circle of light burst into full majesty and Finca took a step back as her mate stepped proudly from within its center into the room. His scales glowed with unnatural light and his eyes still held the warm that was for her alone. Emotions flooded her and Finca could not say anything but instead stood in awe. Her mate, her love was communicating with her after all this time.

_I made a promise, and I kept it. _Tamli's words felt so smooth to his mate, so warm and tender. She adverted her gaze, ashamed of seeing him in these circumstances.

_I waited for so long to have this . . . moment with you. _Finca knew her eyes were moist and her voice trembled but those things paled in comparison to being with Tamli once more. _But after I lost you I thought that would never happen again. _Her eyes met his. Irises locked in a loving embrace. _Until now._

Tamli sighed and swept his gaze to his daughter. He lowered his head and brushed her cheek with his snout before returning his eyes to his love. _As have I. I never imagined this meeting after everything I went through following the months of torture as my body gave up its life's spark. You remember our last words?_

_I promised you that I would never let go but I did without knowing it until the next morning_, Finca replied as feelings of the deepest pain assaulted her once more for not holding true to her promise to him.

_My last moments were spent with you, that's all I cared for. _Tamli cocked his head slightly, his eyes narrowing only by inches as his gaze turned more to one in love all over again. _When I took my last breath I knew my life had been worth living, with you. _His gaze flicked for a second. _How fares Makiar?_

_Pytris was her son by Uria, they both grieve heavily_, Finca responded without second thought. _How can you be standing before me after what happened? After you died more than six years prior?_

_Because I am 'dragoon' as the Atlanteans would refer to me now in my state, I am allowed to return as a spirit to watch over the one I loved more then life itself._

_All because you had no eldunari? You get that reward? _Finca asked as thousands of questions pricked her brain over what Tamli had said.

_In the shortened version, yes. _Tamli seemed conflicted, at war with himself over something. Finca was not sure what it was but she promised herself that she would find out.

She gaze shifted to her daughter, resting so peacefully and unaware that both her parents now looked down upon her. What would Verdra had said if she knew? Would there be any rejoicing for the simple fact that her father had returned, although in spirit, to watch over her?

_What brothers you? _Tamli asked as Finca returned her gaze back to him. _Besides her . . . condition._

_You. _The single word, once she had uttered it, felt thick to her mind, almost unnatural. Tamli had never kept things from her before yet was there a difference now._ _What is wrong, Tamli?__

_Wrong? You think something is . . ._

**Answer** **me**! Finca did not mean to mentally scream but it seemed to be needed to get her mate to understand her need for such an answer._ _Tell me the truth. We have never hidden anything from the other until now, and I want to know why.__

Tamli sighed, sitting down as Finca did the same. _I suppose you have a right to know_, he whispered softly as her eyes narrowed in anger and his returned to their normal size. _The dragon who saved our daughter did more then just save her life. He mated with her._

Finca knew that Tamli expected her to lash out in anger but she controlled herself. Her daughter had mated with the one who had saved her, the idea was crazy. Verdra had far greater restraint then that, right?

_How? How did this happen? She was too injured to . . . _

_Apparently not for the way he did it_, Tamli responded, amused almost at her reaction.

_You mean there are . . . different ways?_

_Most dragons choose which type suites them best, unlike us. Certain styles fit certain dragons better then others. For example, two dragons that live near the sea would attempt to mate under the water instead of the usual ground or air mating. This often concerns younger dragons as they know not which mating style they prefer but usually things of those sort are figured out . . . I'm boring you, aren't I?_

_Slightly_, Finca admitted,_ _but at the same time I enjoy it. You know so much more since before you died.__

_I've had time with the dragons of old. My father has taught me much in only six short years._

_You've spoken with Mirage? With our father?_

_That is what I said, was it not?_

Finca looked away, focusing her gaze back on her daughter. Was this the same dragon who she had turned from a human to become her mate? Was he still even himself? Certainly this new knowledge was useful to them both, but had it overtaken the dragon he was?

_Is it still you? _Finca asked with uncertainty as Tamli blinked with confusion and swished his tail along the wooden floor.

_What do you mean, love? I am myself that will never change. _He sighed and turned his gaze to their daughter as well. _We both gave up so much for this child but it was worth it._

_Was it worth the cost though? I nearly lost my life and you lost yours. How can we deem that as a worthy sacrifice? She almost lost us both, Tamli!_

Finca knew her temper was rising yet she allowed for such to occur only to show her mate how true her words were. Verdra had almost grown up without a father or mother to guide her development. Tamli glanced at her for a second before looking away, a slight growl rippling from deep in his throat.

_I know you're mad at me_, he sighed, _but take not the blame on our child. Verdra was not the cause of my return. You were. I saw how much in pain you were over her condition and knew that I couldn't stay away any longer . . ._

_Why then did you not come when I was attacked by Jormundur? I was in danger of dying yet you came not to my aid. Where lies the logic in your behavior there? _Finca snarled softly, narrowing her eyes in mute anger.

Tamli sighed once more and continued to gaze upon their child. His eyes did not waver as Finca ran her tail along his spine and growled with utter disappointment. Her anger was justified, acceptable even.

_I regret not what has been done, my mate. _Tamli stole another glance at her as Finca snarled faintly, lifting the edges of her jaw to show her sharp teeth off.

_I do. _She hissed in response. Her eyes burned with anger as she slapped the ground nearest him with her powerful appendage. _Because of you, Arxa is looming before us as a presence that is near impossible to stop without destroying Narssia in the process. I do not want Ryta to feel the pain that my children almost felt had the separation of Makiar and myself not gone as well as it had._

_Yet you find reason to blame me for this? I had nothing to do with it! _Tamli snapped back, growling fiercely as they both turned to face the other, eyes narrowing into slits on both sides.

The fight that threatened to brew was going to be one of mass destruction. Finca slapped the ground again with her tail and Tamli raised his threateningly overhead. A low growl erupted from deep within the throats of both and the dragoness sank into a crouch.

_Bring it_, Tamli snarled as Finca waved her tail overhead as a sign that he should back down before the fight even started.

Tamli sank into a similar crouch as that of his mate when Finca stuck. Her moves rained like lightning along his body. Bursts of Shadowfire enfolded his body in smoke and made it hard for him to detect where she was during the fighting.

A quick blow to his side was enough to topple him and, as he fell to the ground, a sudden familiar idea hit him. Finca backed up slightly in readying for another strike but was suddenly hit by a faint icy stream that originated from the maw of Tamli.

She had forgotten about his control over ice and now it seemed that he had far greater control over it then he had shown when she had first discovered that he could manipulate the frozen air around him.

_You've grown since our first mating took place_, she growled softly as he got back onto his feet and stared her down, irises ablaze with fury.

Tamli said nothing in response and instead fired off a blast of Light. This was easy countered by a quick burst of Shadowfire from Finca, who then growled and concentrated on the air around her as sparks of blueish light flared from her body.

Finca closed her eyes as she reached further for a skill she had never used before but knew she had. She was a descendant of a dragon of Light and should be able to manipulate even time itself since her own father had been capable of such actions. Tamli growled softly and sent out another burst of Light but the attack faded before it even got near her.

A wave of blue light spread out from Finca and she opened her eyes to watch everything slow to almost no movement at all. Her guess had been right about also having the use of time as a power. Tamli had just fired off another Light burst as the time ability had activated and so the attack had not gone very far. Finca snorted in amusement and moved to stand behind him, her jaws at the ready for another Shadowfire to surge forth.

The effects of the time skill did not last long but it allowed Finca to get behind Tamli and as soon as time began to return to normal she let loose her Shadowfire upon him. Smoke drifted from his back as Tamli crumpled to the ground, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

_You win_, he managed to utter while he caught his breath and heaved himself back onto his feet. _You used . . . Time? How can you have that ability? Mirage was the only dragon that I knew that had it so how . . . ?_

_I'm not sure really_, Finca confessed. _I've always thought I might have it due to my parentage but this is the first time I've ever used Time before._


	14. Final Release

**Chapter 14-Final Release**

The soft grey of granite met Arxa's eyes as she opened them. The smooth stone glistened with fragments of jewels still inside but the only thing that concerned her was leaving to hunt. Her stomach growled in eagerness for food and she was more then willing to obey. The very thought of raw meat made her frame tremble in excitement.

An entire month had passed now and, surprisingly, she had not killed a single dragon during that time frame. Sitedal and Jormundur were still asleep, curled tightly into two separate balls of scales. Arxa snorted silently to herself in amusement as she got to her feet and stretched out her long body, hoping to ease the dull ache that lay in her lower back. Rolling her shoulders, she passed the two dragons and brought her gaze to the clear blue sky outside. **What would she hunt for today?** She wondered as only one thought came clearly to mind: another dragon for its abilities.

The lighter of the two younger dragons stirred some and Arxa directed her attention to him for a moment before he settled back down and she returned her sight to the open air. Verdra had almost been killed by Jormundur, that much she knew of her own accord. Why the traitor dragon's daughter was still alive she knew not but the oath-breaker would have to pay, sooner or later.

Her wings snapped open the moment Arxa leapt out of the cave, glimpses of onyx filling her view for a moment as her wings struggled to adjust to the air currents and keep her afloat in the gentle breeze that the sky offered to her. Arxa knew that she was doing some damage to her wings every time she did that but part of her enjoyed the thrill of having a struggle with the world beyond her small home.

The scent on the winds told her of much. Herds of deer were moving south now and there was an injured dragon in her territory. Did it even know who's land it was crossing on? Arxa snarled softly at the thought of it eating any of the meat she had quick access to from the air. She would find this dragon and ensure that it stayed silent . . . or else.

A sea of green passed under Arxa as she flew with the greatest speed she could muster at such an early hour. The sun had risen, barely above the horizon, yet the earth was not warmed quite enough for her taste. The only clearing for miles soon passed under her and Arxa turned around, dropping herself into a dive and landing in the rugged opening in the dense forest.

The dragon was male, that much the scent on the wind told her. Arxa knew the scent of males differed from the female scent in that the males smelt more like that of fire and smoke then the females ever did. None of that mattered to her though but she preferred to keep such scents and information held tightly in her mind for future knowledge. Such proofed useful when fighting another dragon, or while having to keep Ryta from messing with her head again. Narssia was not getting free anymore. This was her mind now! No one else could lay claim to it as far as she was concerned.

_So you're Arxa, huh? _A rustling of bushes from behind caused the black female to snarl fiercely and turn around to see the depleted frame of a grey male dragon with a pronounced limp to his right foreleg. His eyes, a mix of yellow and purple, stared at her with expectancy.

_Who wants to know? _She growled softly, tensing herself as her heart began to race with eagerness.

_The name is Rados. I was thought to be dead over six years ago by my mother but I survived as she survived. _He paused, waiting for a reply from Arxa. The dragoness only flicked the tip of her tail with annoyance. _So you truly are the "Black Menace" that everyone has spoken of._

_I know not the term but I am Arxa, captor of the body of Narssia. She is my host, my vessel if you prefer._ _State your business quickly or fear my wrath._

Rados snorted in amusement. _Temperamental are we? I have come only to assure my thoughts that you are the Black Menace, which you ar-_

_Silence!_ Arxa roared, snapping out at him, her teeth bared. _You speak nonsense. I AM ARXA!_

* * *

><p>The forest echoed her roar and Arxa rose onto her hind legs, balancing herself with the aid of her tail. Deep in her mind for the first time in over a month, Narssia stirred back into consciousness. She was confused and tried to make sense of how things were as they now seemed to be. Rados reminded her of another dragon, her own son. Jormundur would be pleased to meet another grey dragon if it lived that long.<p>

**Let me loose**, she growled sharply at the overpowering presence of Arxa, trying to at least speak with the newcomer before he was killed by the dark-magic-presence wanting to make a point.

**_Why would I? _**Arxa asked in reply, startling Narssia as she had not excepted an answer of any sort. **_You know there is not a two-way door to your mind at all! Besides, you lack the power needed to keep me at bay anyway. Remember the incident with Ryta? How you failed miserably at keeping me away even after she reopened the connection between you both? You know what I'm taking about, with utter clarity._**

**Fine, I agree with you.**

**_Honestly, giving up this soon? I expect more from you, oh strong female. _**Arxa taunted, mentally smirking as Narssia growled in annoyance.

Narssia sighed and watched as Arxa observed the carefulness of Rados around them since the outburst. **You're nuts** **for trusting anyone besides yourself**, she added.

**_You have the same quality_**, came the curt reply from Arxa, irritation clearly felt by Narssia through the words that were mentally thought. **_That's what makes you weak and frail compared to my might. I control every aspect of you now, there is no escape._**

Something in Narssia stirred to life at that comment, something she had never felt before in her existence as a rider's dragon. _Madness_, all-consuming madness. Arxa was wrong! There was more to a dragon then just their mind.

**I am not giving up hope_, _**she spat in hatred as Arxa snorted in mock interest. **There has to be a way of taking back what is mine.**

**_It no longer is yours, frail one. _**Arxa paused for a moment. **_But maybe if you stay quiet and don't try to run, I will let you loose for a few moments. How does that sound? _**

**Die first and leave me to what is mine!**

Arxa snorted softly and Narssia watched as she sprang at Rados, snapping apart his neck and absorbing any abilities that he had which were useful to her. The black dragoness spirit that had invaded her body licked her jaws as Narssia roared in anger over the death of another innocent dragon by the fangs that belonged to her but were used by Arxa to kill.

**You killed an innocent dragon, Arxa! He did us no harm so why . . . Why end his life?**

**_Because he knew of us. He would tell of what he saw to those murderer-at-heart traitors and they would come after us_**, Arxa sighed in explanation as Narssia continued to fume silently.

Finally she spoke up as Arxa retook to the air. **We could have manipulated his memories-**

_**NO!**_ Arxa shrieked. **_We will never enter the mind of another dragon. Do you want the magic of the Orichalcos to leave us powerless? If we touch the mind of another dragon and let the connection linger, the Orichalcos will abandon us. It would take everything we have gained thus far and cause a weakness to descend upon our frame that beats even the helplessness of a hatchling. Is that what you want? To be powerless, insignificant?_**

**I understand but-**

_**But nothing! We will strike back when stricken. Fight when the odds are against us, and nothing will change that. The Orichalcos fuels us, offers a gift that your body cannot refuse any longer. You were hatched by the user of the greatest dark magic possible and, over time, you began to hunger for such power as your own. That is why he died, why I took over.**_

**I watched him die**, Narssia admitted, mostly to herself. **I saw him take his last breath but did nothing to stop Meta from killing him. Was that why you came into me? To be the true dragon that I could never be after he entered the void?**

Arxa fell into silence, flapping her wings as she listened for the sound of prey. Narssia felt helpless, trapped in the body that had been her own for over twenty-five years. How could she compete with the magic of Arxa? The dark-magic-presence was strong and often overzealous in speaking of killing the ones who had become traitors to the dragon race. Who were those she spoke of? If it were the dragons that had banded together during the years then Narssia felt that those were not traitors but merely individuals who sought to protect themselves at any cost. Could she be like that one day? Strong enough to counter and overpower the influence of Arxa, ridding the magic-formed presence forever from her body?

**_It won't work_**, Arxa commented as Narssia realized that she had been listening in. **_You are not strong enough, nor can you ever hope to be in order to fight me off through sheer will alone. That idea was tried once before and it failed miserably. _**She snorted. **_Just give up._**

**Never**, Narssia snarled as Arxa chuckled softly.

**_It's your choice then._**

Narssia howled in fury as Arxa closed off their connection, focusing on beating her down again. It did no good to argue with the insane dark-magic-formed presence anymore. Arxa was used to such attempts and was rather bored of them now. The chained female panted as the air supply grew thinner. What was Arxa thinking? Both of them would end up dead. What ever happened to one would happen to the other, didn't she know that?

The air continued to grow thin and Narssia struggled, wondering how far Arxa would go before either both of them died or she was beaten down into submission once more. A gasping breath let Narssia and she rested her head against one of the many black walls of her mental prison. She had to think. What could she do to force Arxa into abandoning their reckless flight into a possible death? Nothing came to mind, nothing that would work at least. She had no control over the body, she couldn't force Arxa from command.

**Stop this! **She roared out in rage as her breathing grew even more labored. **I will submit. Just stop before we both die. Please!**

Gradually the air returned to its normal level of oxygen concentration and Narssia breathed a sigh of relief. Arxa had listen to her, for once.

**_I will land_**, the dark presence assured her as they dove into a shallow dive, touching the ground within seconds.

Once they were safely on the ground Arxa spoke once more. **_Why did you risk calling out to me? I wanted to be rid of you yet something held me back. How could that be so?_**

Narssia thought on it for a second. **Perhaps the balance of power wants us still alive?**

**_Balance of power, ha. There is no such thing._**

**There is, Arxa. We are an example of that. I represent the light and you represent the darkness of my soul.**

**_But why save us? I could have killed us both, then you would be with Mirage and your rider again. _**

Narssia sighed. **I don't want to die right now. My children need me.**

**_Ryta saw you fall into what might have been your death. She wants nothing to do with you, believing you no longer exist. Imagine what Jormundur and Sitedal must be thinking. They could turn on us at any moment! _**Arxa snarled.

**She is still a part of me! **Narssia snapped back. **I will not give up on her so easily as she has given up on me.**

**_The mind is a fickle thing. You could end up turning your back on her as well-_**

**I will not! She is my own flesh and blood, my daughter through Raxmon. There is no way I can turn my back on her.**

Arxa quieted for a moment, leaving Narssia in silence. What if she was wrong? What if she did turn on her daughter and denounce her? What would that cause for Jormundur and Sitedal? Maybe it was the right thing to do? Just to turn her back on those that she had loved for years and submit to the darkness of her heart.

**_Will you become one with me? _**Arxa asked as she had listened in on Narssia's thoughts. **_Will you finally give in to what your body so earnestly craves?_**

Narssia hesitated, unsure. Should she really give up her life just to satisfy the need for power that flowed through her veins? Was that what her rider would have had her do?

**I will accept your offer, Arxa**, she growled softly, almost mourning the life she had led to this point.

**_Good. _**

The darkness enfolded her for only the second time in her life, driving out everything else. She was born of darkness and to darkness she would return. No one could save her now, not even her children.


	15. True Shadows

**Chapter 15-True Shadows**

Verdra opened her eyes, straining for breath. Where was she? Where was Sitedal? The room was dark as a moonless night, no light shining in to help her see. She couldn't make out anything, nothing seemed to spark any memory in her mind.

_You're awake I see_, came a soft voice from only feet away.

_Who are you? What do you want? _Verdra asked as she tried to stand but the pain drove her back down onto her stomach.

The mystery dragon snorted. _Always the same questions. My name is Kesar, youngling. I'm here to help you._

_Help? Why would you want to help me? I'm nothing to you._

Kesar growled softly in annoyance. _That's not true. You have a friend who has a very unique ability. I want that ability, that's all._

_How can I be sure you can be trusted? _Verdra questioned as she strained her sight to at least see him in the darkness.

_Ah, you sound so much like your mother. She would be proud of you. _He paused, shifting closer so that Verdra could see he had yellow eyes. _But that's beside the point._

Kesar stood and walked over to her, his frame overshadowing her own. He was huge, at least three times her size if not four times. Had he been a Guardian in his time?

_I was not_, he snarled faintly after reading her thoughts. _Not in the normal sense. I was joined with another and turned into the greatest destructive pawn of the Orichalcos ever. Dartz was my sworn charge, although he acted as though he controlled me._

Verdra quivered with fear. She had heard the stories of Nira and Kesar's time as the jointed entity known as the Great Leviathan. But to meet one of the dragons that formed it was unreal.

_Peace dragoness_, Kesar whispered as she trembled slightly. _The Orichalcos has dealt a great damage to you. It has infected you through the offspring you carry._

_I'm pregnant? _She growled in uncertainty.

The black male nodded. _Yes, child, you are. But fear not, I can help rid the impurities from the eggs before they form. That way neither of you will be in danger of dying, so long as you live through the pregnancy._

_You're saying I won't, is that what I hear? You think I'm going to die!_

_There is no other way to say it._

Verdra snarled fiercely. _That's a lie!_

_Is it? Face it, you barely survived death only because of that dark-magic-traitor dragon Sitedal. He is a disgrace to his father's name._

_Is he now? _Asked a different voice, this one male as well but more dark and deep. _If you consider that then I might as well rip your heart out now and spare any more misery to come to my daughter._

Verdra blinked. Who was this new dragon? She didn't have a father, not that she knew at least. Could he have been found then, the mate of her mother? Was it Tamli? Kesar snarled and took a step back, growling harshly as the newcomer stopped right behind Verdra.

_Why come into this, Tamli? You are DEAD! I saw your body burned til there was nothing left. So why stand up for her? She mated with the lowlife after all!_

_Kesar, I am not in the mood for your mockery. You may have watched my body burn but I am back. Whatever you say to Verdra you say to me, understood? _Tamli snarled, the anger that lanced his voice causing Verdra to quiver in fright.

_I see I've hit a nerve. My mistake Tamli. _Kesar chuckled as he growled mockingly. _I'll try to be more cautious in the future._

He lunged, leaping over Verdra as Tamli rolled to the side. Fire escaped from Tamli's nostrils as he watched with almost boredom. What was he thinking? He could get himself killed. Kesar wasn't playing around!

Tamli closed his eyes as Verdra looked around to see the fight for herself. The white dragon stepped to the side as Kesar lunged at him once more, his tail even laying still. Another burst of fire sparked from Kesar's nostrils as he tried once more to attack.

_Stand still_, he roared as Tamli again dodged his frame.

Kesar let loose a burst of fire from his jaws as Verdra watched to see what her father would do to counter it. Tamli opened his eyes and the fire halted, sizzling as it fell to the floor and the black male was thrown back against the wall behind him.

The black dragon shrieked and struggled frantically as the white one advanced to him, their eyes locked. Snarls rose threateningly from deep in Kesar's throat but Tamli paid it no mind and continued to move forward. Verdra drew a stunned breath, unsure of what to do. Was she about to see her own father murder another dragon? One that had done nothing to harm her?

Tamli growled, standing perfectly straight as he stopped before Kesar. A murderous gleam shone bright in his eyes, a glimpse of the true nature that he had hidden for so long. Even his mate didn't know the full extent of the torture he had put himself through the past six years Being away from her had almost killed him, almost made him lose who he was.

_Don't hurt him! Please! _Verdra begged as Tamli narrowed his eyes. _He did me no wrong. He-_

_He insulted the name of my father. That cannot be forgiven, my child_, Tamli whispered softly as he glanced to her for only a brief second before focusing back on the task at hand.

Kesar shrieked in terror as Tamli snarled, ice crystals forming in the air around his maw. Could he be an ice dragon? Verdra wondered as she watched her father cautiously out of fear. But that made no sense if he . . . He had two elements. Somehow he was a dual elemental dragon, a rarity in all of dragon kind.

_H-How are you a dual element dragon? _Kesar asked with equal awe. _You were born human, you lived with the King and Queen for four years until-_

_I'm aware of my past, Kesar, there is no need to mention it. How I am a twin element dragon I shall not reveal. You will see why, and only why, I am if you read my thoughts before I kill you. _Tamli showed no expression of emotion, his eyes locked with determination on their target. Verdra wasn't sure what to make of it.

_Why would I read your thoughts? There are none! You are dead! _Kesar growled as Tamli snarled faintly in muted anger.

_Make no mistake, I AM alive. My former body might be burned to ash but I have no need of a physical shell anymore. _He took a step forward. _I can take whatever I want, be whoever I want, and no one can stop me. Not even you, frail excuse for a dragon._

Kesar snarled softly as the white dragon lowered his head, closing his eyes. Considering what had happened last time, Verdra made certain she kept her gaze on him. Only a slight twitch signaled him to raise his head back up, even so his eyes were still closed.

_You mock me for the last time_, Tamli said, his voice barely rising above a whisper as his eyes opened.

The purple irises that Verdra knew she had gotten from him turned blood red as his scales faded in color to the blackest of coals. He roared and Kesar squeezed shut his eyes. Tamli exhaled, a blast of shadowy wind engulfing the black by birth dragon. Verdra looked away as Kesar shrieked in pain and when she looked back to the scene he was no where to be found, only a pile of ash in his place.

_What did you do? _She asked Tamli as his reddened eyes turned to her with a bright gleam to them. _He wasn't going to hurt me._

_We knew not that for sure_, the male corrected her. _He would have killed you for the information he sought, I know that for certain._ _Your safety was my only concern-_

_Because I'm your daughter, is that it? You think you can rule my life! I lived in the wild for six years, alone. I can take care of myself_, Verdra snarled.

_Can you? You almost didn't survive the attack from Jormundur. Had Sitedal not come to your aid, you would be dead. Remember that, always._

Tamli hissed softly, lowering his head as he tried to fight off the affects of his rage. He had not lost control like that for over twenty-two years. The last time he had, Finca had almost died. His mate had almost been killed by him. How could he ever forgive himself for that?


	16. Bonds of Purest Emotion

**Chapter 16-Bonds of Purest Emotion**

With news having spread of Arxa's killing of Rados from the future, the dragons of the Compound seemed to withdraw into themselves. Few would greet any of the original Atlantean dragons anymore, instead lingering in the dark with uncertain eyes as the proud beasts passed them by. Tamli was one dragon in particular that no one else spoke to. They had heard of what had happened to Kesar and had made a promise to each other not to speak to the insane returned human-turned-dragon as much as they could. It bothered Finca and Makiar slightly but they didn't let it show, or rather they tried not to show their disappointment at the actions of the other dragons in the underground tunnels.

Verdra was well on her way to recovering, growing stronger each day. Although the pregnancy made it hard on her to regain her endurance, she made the best of it. Ryta would often come down to check on the condition of her friend and talk with Finca. Tamli made sure not to be in the room when the brown dragoness came, for fear that she would see him as a threat and stop coming to speak with his mate. Both dragons greatly enjoyed their daily time together and as the months passed, their friendship grew ever stronger.

Tamli tried his hardest to subdue his rage but he found that he could not change the appearance of his scales or the color of his eyes back to their normal pigmentations. He knew Finca disproved of the colors that reminded them both of his darkest days as a new dragon. He saw in her eyes the fear that he would snap and attack her as he had done in the past after Nira had turned him like that. The temptation was great day after day to just rip a dragon to shreds but somehow he controlled himself and used the bond he had with his mate to calm his irritated mind. That only helped so much and, as time passed, he found he needed a new way of restraining himself. In merely explaining his condition to Uria, figuring he had no one else better to turn to then perhaps his mate, Tamli was surprised at the suggestion of simply letting himself be ruled by his very nature.

_I have done it in the past_, Uria informed him as they lay across from each other on the main entry chamber of the Compound about two months later. _It takes getting used to but I've found that it calms down a dragon faster than even fighting._

_It works that well? _Tamli questioned as his red eyes glanced at Uria for reassurance. _I have a mate and a child who is pregnant, Uria! I cannot afford to be led astray by some theory that you only "claim" works. Answers are what I need before things get out of hand._

_Can I ask a personal question?_

_Anything, my friend_, Tamli replied as Uria snorted in content.

_How . . . No, why did you kill Kesar? I know you were the one, every dragon here knows it. I want to know why though_, Uria growled.

Tamli sighed. _Everyone wants to know that_, he admitted. _But I cannot just tell them, it's not that simple. _He sighed once more. _You remember that I was bitten by Nira twenty-two years ago, before the eclipse? _Uria nodded in agreement. _Good. Now he injected poison into me from that bite. That poison somehow brought out my true nature and I nearly killed Finca-_

_You never told me that_, Uria interjected, utterly confused as to why Tamli would withhold information from him. _But continue. Please._

_I nearly killed her. After that I thought I had my rage under control until I happened to pass by the room where Verdra was being kept. I had already taken Finca back to our chamber as she was asleep by this point out of exhaustion, and overheard Kesar threatening my daughter. Something . . . I don't know . . . snapped for me then, Uria_, Tamli confessed as he lowered his gaze to the dirt under his blackened claws._ I lost it and went after him, killing him despite her pleas for me to stop. What kind of a dragon am I? _He asked as he succumbed to sobs. _To disobey even the wishes of my own flesh and blood? I don't know what's wrong with me, Uria. I just want it to stop. _

Uria growled soothingly, or as soothing as he could make his fierce growl. _That's exactly my point. You've held your emotions in such a tight grasp for so long that they're bound to release in a fury you cannot control. Believe me, it's happened to almost all the dragons down here. You can rise above it though._

_You say that when your very father was Nira, one of the spawners of the Great Leviathan. I doubt your words_, Tamli growled as he regained control over himself and looked the older dragon in the eyes.

_I value your point, Tamli. Your father was Mirage, the one whose death spawned Arxa to come from Narssia_, Uria snapped back as the once-white dragon hissed in anger.

_There was no reason to bring Arxa into this. She is a spineless fool who invaded the wrong mind. Plenty stronger dragons are there for her to take over besides Narssia. I see not her viewpoint in choosing the black whelping as her bodily host._

The red dragon sighed. _Peace Tamli. Your anger is getting the better of-_

_I know that! _The black male roared, baring his teeth in full display of his rage._ _I cannot control it. It just happens. I have no willpower over it. __His gaze dropped once more to the ground as he lowered his gums back over his razor-sharp teeth.

Uria snorted as Tamli once again raised his eyes back up to view the reddened beast. What did he find funny about this? The darkened male wondered as his eyes narrowed to slits. He was fighting a losing battle over his very emotional state! What part of that could not be understood?

_Tamli_, Uria began after a moment of tense silence between them, _as a friend and as a more long-lived dragon, I think that you should indeed follow my suggestion. The choice is your however, but I would not dwell on the matter very long._

_Why not? _Tamli questioned, his voice lowered slightly and his tone far less deep then now normal for him.

_These conditions often come with unpleasant side-effects, you know this for a fact. _The black male growled inquiringly, confused almost._ I am referring to the Dragonic Copulate, the same thing that took your very-_

_Do NOT bring that up, ever! Have I not made it clear that nothing is to be an irritation for me now? If so then allow me to demonstrate what my wrath is capable of following the doubling of my rage._

With that he turned his head and let loose a rippling stream of black molten fire. The flames tore into the dirt, devouring all they could until they exhausted themselves and sizzled into nothingness. Uria was impressed, startled perhaps, but delighted to see such a majestic display of raw strength.

_I understand_, he admitted as Tamli returned his reddened gaze back to the lantern behind Uria. _There is still much work to be done to prevent that from happening to another dragon. I will see that the correct Compound leaders are notified immediately._

_It may already be too late_, the dark dragon muttered as his eyes seemed out of focus for Uria, _the darkness might already be claiming lives of those yet to see the light of day._

The red male blinked, unsure of what he had heard. Could Tamli be speaking of the return of the Orichalcos? Certainly it dwelt within Narssia now, there was no denying that fact, but would it soon seek a larger audience?

_Tamli, could you be . . . more specific? I need to know all that you know for the protection of the dragons down here._

Tamli blinked, his eyes coming back into focus. He breathed heavily and Uria wondered if the male had developed new abilities since his bodily death. His eyes flickered about before steadying on the red dragon before him.

_She's killed him_.

_Killed who Tamli?_

_My son, my future son. Rados is dead. She now can travel through the very fabric of time itself. I feared for this, I knew it was bound to happen but to . . . I cannot believe it._

Uria was downright stunned. If Tamli had new abilities then had he not just shown the use of an advanced version of telepathy? He could locate those that he knew and keep a check on them. How useful that skill could be to one who knew various dragons over the years! But did it come with a drawback though?

_I'm sorry for your loss, but I need to know if this new skill of yours come with a drawback. Please, Tamli, tell me and I will leave you alone for the remainder of the day to grieve your son's death._

_We were never close. I died in body without knowing him_, Tamli confessed. _I would rather keep my knowledge of the advanced telepathy to just myself, if that is fine._

Uria snorted. _But it could be used to locate dragons who are in harm's way! You could save lives!_

_I am not interested in revealing how it works or if it has any drawbacks_, he snarled. _Now leave me at peace! Keep your promise, fire dragon, and I will consider doing what you have said works. That is only if your promise is kept for the rest of the day._

Growling, Tamli stood, turned, and walked away. Uria watched in utter annoyance. To not want to use an ability for the sake of good? The once white dragon was completely nuts. He would, though, find an answer to the question he sought. Once nightfall hit then the inquiries would be asked of the returned-from-the-dead dragon. Tamli would answer, regardless of whether he wanted those questions asked or not.


	17. To Where It Began

**Chapter 17-To Where It Began**

Jormundur opened his yellow eyes to observe the icy dawn for one of the last times in his life. He had seen countless sunrises and sunsets but this one would burn itself into his memory forever. Arxa was also awake, although he couldn't tell it by how silent she was. Her thoughts were always masked to him, he being never able to read them. It was as if there was little brain activity to her at all now, since the night of his deepest terrors. To see the dragon that he had been raised as a son to killed before his very eyes had been unspeakably cruel, inhumane almost. The truth he had later learned that Raxmon was not indeed his father, but a already dead dragon known simply as Mirage had been the one to stir his genes into existence by mating with Narssia. Sitedal and himself were never allowed to call Arxa by the former name of the body she held captive to anymore, although they wanted to more then even freedom.

_You're awake_, Arxa commented drily as Jormundur twitched, unaware until that moment that, like him, she was also awake to view the ice-driven sun-coming-up-over-the-horizon-event of the earliest morning.

_I am_, he agreed as her white eyes flickered to him and then back to the rise-of-the-sun.

_Normally you sleep late. You and him both._

So she knew their patterns? He wasn't surprised. She barely slept herself anymore, claiming that the body was ill-fit to be driven into a state of total surrender to the outside world. There was little to be worried about given their climate up in the cloudy regions of the local mountain area. Only birds flew up this high. Well birds and other dragons, naturally.

_The black one seems not himself lately_, she suggested as his grey frame quivered with the early morning chill.

_Maybe the food's been bad? _Jormundur inquired as he felt those white eyes of the one who possessed his mother's body staring at him, evermore present and always aware of the surroundings.

_Could be but I doubt so. _Arxa's rare emotional moments were . . . exceedingly uncommon. Almost never did she lose her temper or even raise her voice above its normal, irritating level.

_Care to suggest an idea? _He asked as he heard her snort softly. Most likely she disagreed with his suggestion, it was rather common for that to occur upon her disapproval of something.

_The minds of the youth are to implored for suggestions, not the vast memory-holders that those of ancient dragons have._

Her immediate answer angered him. Never did she flat out respond anymore with simply a 'yes' or a 'no' but instead spoke in such cryptic language that it made his head hurt trying to figure her out. He was starting to think he never would uncover her secrets and help Ryta break their mother free of bondage in her own mind. That was one thing which drove him to put up with the annoying ways of the parasitic mind-snatcher which had seemingly replaced his mother overnight. Even Sitedal, before his return after the attack on Verdra had taken place, had at least tried to hold a conversation with her but it often went nowhere and nearly drove them both to madness. Now the black male was as silent as Narssia was, never speaking unless spoke to and it wasn't much that he did speak anymore.

_The quiet of mind often become quiet of heart_, Arxa hummed, almost raspily as Jormundur glanced back to glare at her. He knew his place in her tiny group, such reminders were not needed!

_Listen! _He snarled. _I have put up with you long enough now. Give us Narssia back and-_

Arxa growled, the sound enough to make the grey dragon cease his mental ranting. She was mad, he realized with horror. He had angered her, he had spoken the word most forbid in her presence. Narssia.That one phrase caused her wrath like no other and now he couldn't take it back. She would kill him, he would die. Simple as that.

_The greyling falls to recall my request? _The black she-dragon spoke softly, her growl growing louder steadily. _My one commandment of servitude? There is no forgiveness for such an action. _She got to her feet as Jormundur scrambled to his and began to back up.

He knew that death was coming. Sitedal even knew, and he was now awake as Arxa's growl was as menacing as it was bone-chilling. Could such a pleasure be afforded to him now? To die for the advancement of the one way to bring Narssia back to the surface where she belonged. Oh he longed for death now, for it to come swiftly and end his cruel physical existence on the badly-damaged earth. There was one problem though. She had begun to take to the ways of the oldest dragons and kill by torture instead of a quick, painless death. Raxmon had been killed in a instant, so should he not have the same honor then?

Jormundur felt his hind claws clutch to the rock under him and he realized that the drop off was just behind him. He could jump off and let his death come then, but what good would it do? Arxa would only comment about him not facing death like a true dragon and there would be no impact on Narssia, if she was even still mentally alive. Sitedal raised his head and blinked as the female took another step in anger. Only two more steps before she was right before him.

A sudden surge of sunlight made the eyes of his brother shine brighter then anything else in their small cave and Jormundur felt himself drawn to it. Those eyes were a gift from their father, he knew that much, but never had he realized such a need to be close to the rich purple that had become the eye color of Sitedal. The deep amethyst seemed to be calling out to him, whispering words of such tongue that he had no clue what was being said but only that he should let his power flow through every fiber in his body.

That he did with no hesitation and the entire cave filled with a light brighter then even the glare of the sun at midday. When the fierce illumination faded only Sitedal remained in their cave, dazed and confused as to what had happened.

* * *

><p>The air around them blazed with raw heat, the force of which caused both Jormundur and Arxa to close their eyes. She gave a growl of pain only once but otherwise no sound was heard from her, for the most part. He was struggling to channel the strongest power he had ever felt from himself however and it took most of his concentration just to keep them moving. An idea formed in his mind of what the power was but he couldn't be for sure until they stopped.<p>

Finally he let the remains of the unknown energy go and the heat disappeared, only to be replaced by the bluest sky he had ever seen. The baby blue atmosphere provided little to look at as Jormundur realized that they were falling. Faster they plummeted and only then did he glance over at Arxa. Her frame was trembling heavily and occasional bursts of green light shot out from her, disappearing into the air. Whatever was going on he decided it wasn't good for either of them.

Turning, he managed to wrap his tail around her right forepaw, squeezing it gently as she continued to give off the flares of light. Surprisingly the light bursts didn't effect him, allowing that much more time to get together a plan to land safely and without further harm to both of them. A forest soon vaguely appeared below them, becoming clearer the farther they descended. Now Jormundur had only to figure out a way to drop onto the floor of the green-sea-of-trees without injury. That would be harder then he thought though.

As the woodland drifted ever closer, the male spread out his wings and strained himself to his fullest. Even with his wings displayed at their max they still continued to fall quickly. Jormundur knew that if he retracted his wings then death would certainly come for them both as the increase in speed would make for a landing near impossible. He wasn't about to risk the life of the dragoness who raised him from an egg and his own in a near-fatal landing, that would be too risky and too dangerous for either of them. What to do? Their options were vastly decreasing and with it his own strength. Never before had he been this challenged, this put to the test.

Thinking that such an idea would work to his benefit, the grey male jerked both his mother's body and himself to the left. There had to be an opening in the green canopy somewhere. The tricky part would be finding it, wherever it was in the sea of leafy tops. Ever faster they descended and finally he saw what he needed. A small opening revealed itself only feet from where they were falling towards and Jormundur began to strain himself to break free of the air current they were on to, hopefully, get to a new one that would lead to the gap in the greenness of the bark landscape.

Jormundur only forgot about how fast two dragons could go in a downward flight. The mass alone was enough to crash them into the leaf-cushioned top layer but the speed of their descent would cancel out the bounce back factor of the springy foliage. Green and red entered his sight as their flying turned into an out-of-control spin. He felt the bones on one of his wings snap and he would have roared had not the initial shock overrun the pain. Brown entered his gaze as his body rammed into tough bark on the trees and more areas on his frame cried out in misery as pain flooded his senses and beat down everything else in him and what he saw.

When the dark brownness of the earth reached him he was nearly incoherent from the pain. There was no clue as to how well Arxa had fared from their wronged spiral downwards but Jormundur only really wanted to sleep and worry about his wounds later. It was in that moment that he heard the padded footsteps of another creature. Maybe it would help them? Maybe it knew where they were? Maybe it . . . ?

* * *

><p>Her delicate footing would have normally indicated that she had traveled this section of the forest before but she had not. It was new territory to her, a fresh location to mark as so to protect her two eggs from the hungry jaws of traveling predators.<p>

Stumbling upon the two dragons during her trip had not been her intent but there she stood gazing down at one grey dragon with a severely bent right wing and a black dragon who seemed to be not even breathing. She hoped it wasn't dead but no dragon would be better at figuring that out then Raxmon, or so she made herself believe as to mask the pain of losing her first love. The death of Mirage had ripped a hole in her that only Raxmon had been able to heal. Slowly they were coming together as one, as a united pair of dragons that could outlast any other.

_I've found two dragons while exploring the territory_, she commented as Raxmon sought her mind for why she had not returned yet to their cave.

_Two dragons? This is unique, love. Tell me, are they conscious?_

_Not that I can see_, came her response after a moment of silence.

_Very well_, Raxmon sighed. _I am on the way, stay there._


	18. Two Sided Coin

**Chapter 18-Two-Sided Coin**

The warmth of something on his right wing awoke Jormundur. Where was he? Where was Arxa? He opened his eyes and saw that someone had been caring enough to tightly bind his broken wing with plenty of white cloth so that it could be given time to heal without him messing with it. Whoever the individual had been knew something of medicine as those strips of cloth were not dragon-made at all.

_I figured you'd be awake_, came a very familiar voice from his left.

Jormundur turned his head slowly, afraid of inflicting further damage on himself. He knew that voice. He had known it for six years and eleven months before Arxa had silenced it forever. That voice belonged to Raxmon, the father of his half-sister Ryta.

_Tell me, youngling_, Raxmon growled softly as the scent of freshly cooked meat assaulted the grey male. _How does a dragon like yourself wind up here? _

_Where is here? _Jormundur asked, trying to keep his voice low and free of excitement. His initial guess was right, he had the ability to travel through time itself, a skill that only Mirage had been said to possess for so long.

_Ah, forgive my manners. I am Raxmon and this- _He looked around for a moment before settling his gaze on the black dragoness who stood near him -_is Narssia, my mate._

_Mate? _Had he heard that right? Were they truly mates? How far back in the past had he taken Arxa and himself? She was still being called Narssia so if must be at least a year before the events of his own time.

_The name is Akon_, Jormundur lied, thinking that the younger version of him might be alive at this point. Besides, Raxmon would grow curious if his real name had been used and his younger self was a hatchling.

_Welcome to our humble home, Akon_, past-version Narssia growled soothingly as he gazed at her in wonder. It had been years since he had seen his mother that happy.

_How is . . . How is the dragoness that was near me when we crashed onto the dry earth? _The grey dragon questioned as past-Narssia sighed and lowered her head. Raxmon also lowered his own in deep regret over the same thing that the younger version of his mother had her head down for.

_She is . . . deeply scarred physically and mentally. We've tried to awaken her but she refuses to stir. It is . . . annoying at times. Raxmon has attempted to enter her mind but there is a barrier neither of us can break that separates her from the outside world . . ._

_A barrier? _Could they be speaking of the presence of Arxa? Certainly the Orichalcos must be working on the past-version of her by now. Maybe that was the cause? Perhaps the dark magic had greater hold in the past then in the present where they are almost one and the same?

. . . _Forgive me, you must be beyond hungry now. I'm sorry I kept you this long_, past-Narssia growled that three thick stabs of meat were laid down before him by her telekinesis, his yellow eyes observing her with calmness yet faint worry.

Perhaps the magic of the stones was not as powerful as he had thought in the past? Her eyes seemed clear enough and both seemed rather happy. In fact, happier then even a year before Raxmon had been killed. He had to have gone back in time at least three years if not four. Almost never had he seen Narssia this warm and friendly. If only she knew of what was to come.

When the food had been eaten completely the three sat down and Raxmon and past-Narssia asked for his tales of adventure. He wanted to speak the truth, but when it involved them then how could he? In the end he mostly made up events that sounded good and cleverly crafted stories that he knew would entertain them, hopefully for hours at the minimum.

While he enjoyed the interaction with the Raxmon of the past and the past version of his mother, his main focus remained on Arxa. Why wouldn't she let anyone in? Had the . . . Had the Orichalcos left her? Was that it? Could she be so weak she could barely take even a breath? It made sense now that he thought of it and the flashes of green from her body . . . That was it!

_Narssia, I hate to bother you but where is she? _It felt odd calling his mother by that after all the time that Arxa had been in control but in the same way it felt reassuring, normal even.

The black female stood up, glancing at Raxmon with pity. _I'll take you_, she offered as the golden dragon sighed and also stood.

_Thanks but I-_

_I will take him_, Raxmon spoke up, a low snarl coming from deep within his throat.

Narssia snorted in amusement. _You? I know the way around better._

_But I want to speak with him alone_, Raxmon confessed as the black she-dragon gave a nod of understanding.

_Go ahead then._

Jormundur turned around and Raxmon quickly caught up to him as they headed for a slightly lighter section of the cave network that made up what would later be abandoned in search of a location far into the clouds for the dark seclusion of the all-powerful Arxa. But could the dragon he brought with him from the future even be called Arxa anymore? Without the Orichalcos affecting her, the female that had come with him was basically Narssia all over again.

Granted she was extremely weak but if he was right then everything could be fixed before things went horribly wrong. He could save this time's Narssia from the danger of the years ahead. For once, he could do the right thing at the right time. But what would happen to the dragoness that he knew of in the future? Would the time stream correct what was made finally right? How would it affect Sitedal, Arxa, and even himself? Could three dragons be wiped from existence all in one moment? Was that possible even?

_You seem on edge, Akon_, Raxmon admitted as Jormundur eyed him with a careful gaze as to not reveal too much.

_The traveling I've been doing has messed with my head over the years. _Part of that was true but most was even more lying to protect the future family he would be a part of. _I know this seems odd to be asking since I just met you, but do you have any offspring?_

Raxmon chuckled. _I mind not the question. As of now, I have no offspring. Why do you ask?_

The shock of the answer almost caused Jormundur to halt in his tracks. Raxmon had no offspring. That meant that Sitedal and himself were eggs then. It couldn't be. Somehow he had gone seven years into the past. Seven years. How could he of let this happen? That explained everything with Arxa. Every detail solved because of that one question.

_I was simply curious, friend. Things don't progress very quickly in the mind of one whose been to the darkest corner of society and back in the matter of a year._

_I understand_, Raxmon sighed. _So you've seen the trail of destruction left by Szara then?_

_No, not really. I . . . Listen, have you ever heard of-_

A piercing shriek suddenly filled his mind, cutting off Jormundur and forcing him to devote all energy into figuring out what it was. The answer came simple. Narssia, his Narssia, was awake and was in terrible pain. Past-Narssia had been right about her future form being in great physical and mental pain, although she had called it being scarred. Those two things meant the same thing, that his current day mother was in more pain then either her past form or Raxmon knew what to do with. Even he didn't know how to proceed based on what he was feeling through her. That reminded him of her true nature as an empath. It must be confusing for her to be surrounded by such rich emotions for the first time in over three months.

When Arxa was in control, she had no access to any of her powers. She was basically nothing more then an observer in her own mind. But now the shock must be overwhelming to her. Jormundur growled softly and turned his gaze to Raxmon. Certainly there was worry in the eyes of the golden dragon but also . . . fear. How could a dragon like him be terrified? It made no sense considering what he remembered of the dragon who had been as a father to him for over six years.

_We need to hurry_, he simply commented as Raxmon nodded and increased their pace of speed.

_How are you two related? _The gold male asked as they traveled along dirt that stretched for miles.

_Son and mother_, Jormundur answered, figuring it was safe to say that before Raxmon.

_Ah, that explains the identical eye color then._

A quick flicker of rage ran through the grey dragon's mind. Raxmon had opened the eyes of his mother. Was it possible then that he knew? How would one go about hiding that information once they knew it? No real signs of emotion could be seen on the facial features of the gold beast and Jormundur chided himself for even thinking that the male beside him knew anything more then what had been told to him.

The two rounded a corner, although the dirt made it hard to keep the walls up this deep in the earth's crust, and Jormundur took a step back in shock. The eggs! Two small rounded protective covering of future dragons met his utmost gaze. Their colors were grey and black with webs of yellow on the grey egg and webs of green on the black. He was staring at himself, at who he was before the events of everything in the future had come into being. Could this not be the purest moment of his existence thus far? To witness what he was before the hatching had taken place.

_Are these. . . ?_

_They are Narssia's actually. We plan to raise them once they hatch_, Raxmon growled as Jormundur held his sights longer on the grey egg then was necessary before they moved on.

_Why keep them down here? There are plenty of places higher up in the network that could support them_, Jormundur inquired only be met by a soft growl from Raxmon.

_I tried telling her that but she refused to listen. Her eyes took on a white tint for only a moment before I dropped the issue._

The Orichalcos! It certainly wasn't as powerful to her back in the past. If her eyes only took on a white tint for a minute or so then that meant that the wrath of the Seal grew stronger with the years. How could he have not seen that? Now it made sense why his current day mother was in so much pain. The might of the darkness had to have left her, resulting in the worst time of her life as far as weakness went.

_Akon, I understand why this must come as a shock to you that we keep the eggs where dirt could cover them but the ancient law says to bury the offspring eggs and wait for them to hatch. We simply follow that rule to the best that our pride will allow_, Raxmon sighed.

Jormundur had no issue with that. He understood the laws as well, given that he was speaking with the dragon who would become a father figure to him since his own father was dead by this point. Those laws were to be upheld at all times, even he knew that. How could he have known how far to travel in the past though? It made no sense that he would just choose seven years in the past as a focal point. Something had to have drawn them to this time. But why just as Narssia was finding herself after the death of Mirage? Would not a couple months back have been more fitting?

_I know the laws of the ancient ones_, the grey dragon finally admitted. _Thus I see now why the eggs would be kept as they are. Might we, though, continue towards the injured black female?_

_Of course_, Raxmon agreed as once more they picked up speed and increased their walking pace.

The remainder of the journey did not last long. Only two rounded corners before they stopped in front of the opening to the chamber where the weakened dragoness from the future lay. It was possible that Raxmon suspected of them both coming from the future but no such question was ever asked though. Because of such, Jormundur deducted that there was no knowledge of the fact that both dragons within the young pair's home were of the future.

_You will enter alone, Akon_, the golden dragon confessed. _I cannot follow you in, only my mate enters this chamber to heal those who are sick. Events like those are rare, we hardly ever encountered another dragon anymore until the two of you came._

_I will call for your help when I need it_, Jormundur responded. _But otherwise you have been a valued friend to me. May the stars shine for your continued health and safety._

Although the last part had been of an ancient verse from the records of Atlantean text, most of his words had been spoke truly from the heart. Raxmon was now considered a friend to the time-traveler dragon. Both were, even though it felt odd being friends with his own mother. But this time's Narssia was calmer, more enjoyable then what he knew of from the future. Arxa had only demanded full servitude and had spoken of horrible things from the time that the corruption had taken over.

Jormundur entered the chamber slowly, fearing the worst with each step he took. How was she faring now? He had felt nothing since her initial awakening and shock so concern played heavily on his thoughts. The room was small, only able to hold a medium-sized bed of straw and some medical supplies. To his surprise, the black she-dragon seemed aware of her surroundings. Although her eyes flickered rapidly about the room Narssia was relatively calm. Her gaze finally found its way to him and a soft growl rippled from her jaws.

_You've come_, she whispered faintly, her voice sounding strained to her son.

_I could not leave you_, he answered in tenderness, walking over and allowing her to nuzzle him.

It felt odd to Jormundur that she was nuzzling him but the contact held such meaning that he almost wanted it never to end. She ended it though by drawing back her head and laying it down on the straw. Her eyes didn't have their normal luster and the yellow irises were softly dulled. Such a thing he had never seen before in a dragon but was certain it did not mean well.

_Mother?_

_I'm fine_, Narssia assured him, her eyes raising to meet his. _Just tired. I cannot believe that the presence of the dark magic is gone. How did you do it?_

_Time travel_, Jormundur confessed as his mother snorted faintly.

_The one gift of Mirage that was never tamed by Arxa. Fitting isn't it? That one skill released me from her control. Ryta would be so proud._

_I'm not sure how to return us, though. Considering I sent us seven years into the past, I figured you would know some dragon that could help us. Mirage is dead already in this time frame however_, he explained as her body trembled faintly and she gave a slight soft growl of discomfort.

_Such delays our plans then. I know not of another dragon who was a time-wander seven years ago. _Narssia's voice remained soft, stirring in Jormundur a fear that she was sick or more weakened then he had originally thought.

_Certainly you had to known someone, mother. With Mirage dead, would you have not wanted the company of another dragon who could move through time? I know you found out about the ability late but still . . . _

_I have told you what I know_, she spoke softly._ _I had not many connections during my grieving time following the death of Mirage.__

_But you still found time to showcase the newfound might of the Orichalcos. You killed Terdon, remember?_

Her voice rose only faintly but just enough to reveal that he had sparked her anger. _Do not bring that up. It was an accident, a fatal flaw on my part._

_A flaw that resulted in the death of an innocent dragon. It was your first kill after Meta. The Orichalcos was new to you, as it had been when you dueled Dartz that long time ago-_

_NEVER bring that to the surface! _Narssia roared, panting from the effort afterwards. _You know not what it was like for me._

_Didn't I? I attacked two dragons of the same family within six years of each other. Do you not realize how painful that was for me? Those two could have killed me, either of them! _Jormundur did not shriek but he came close. His mother would never understand the pain he felt for having attacked both Finca and then Verdra. Those two dragons were special, unique almost.

_I fail to see your point, my child. The great dragons of the past protected you during those fights, you do realize that. Through their power, you only survived with your very life. It is them who give you mastery over fog and wind vapor. You control nature because of what the ancients wanted you to have. This was foretold a long time ago, before even I was created-_

_Are you even hearing yourself? You and Father gifted me with this curse! It was originally thought of as a blessing but later showed as a curse on me. What part of that do you not get? Tell me, mother, enlighten me with your knowledge. _He snorted in muted anger, smoke drifting from his nostrils as Narssia closed her eyes and growled softly.

_Get away from me first_, she insisted, her eyes reopening as Jormundur merely snarled in disgust. _Then, and only then, will I tell you why I refuse to view your skill as a curse upon your frame._

_Never_, he growled as his tail quivered all the way to its very tip in rage. She wanted him to retreat? To show weakness in their pitiful numbered race? The dragon population was dying out! No longer could they just stand by anymore.

Narssia raised up her head only through sheer will of mind. Her body trembled violently but her voice was ice cold, reflecting the purest hatred from Arxa. There had been some use to the Orichalcos-influenced presence at least. Now there could be no denying that she was a changed dragoness from seven years prior. Jormundur stayed where he was as she found the strength from within to get to her feet, although her frame shook with increasingly more powerful tremors. This was truly putting her body and will of mind to the test.

_You will obey me_, she commanded as her eyes narrowed in anger. _I am your mother, your elder. Listen to me as if your life depended on it! Trusting me is the only way we will get back to our time._

Jormundur stood up straighter, aggravated from the words of Narssia. He obey her? She had no power over him now. With the Orichalcos gone, there was nothing keeping him tied to her. Nothing of real value anyway. Any family bond between them had been shattered when Arxa killed Raxmon. What use to her was he now? A puppet? A slave who could walk away without getting hurt for the first time in years? He should be gone by now anyway, leaving all of them. But . . . he couldn't leave himself. That egg, grey in color, had latched on to his subconscious so deep. If he left, then would he not be tearing holes in himself? That egg, that tiny dragon inside, was his responsibility. He was it and it was him, two creatures brought together by the time frame. There was no way he could find it in himself to turn his back on the dragon who was a younger, unhatched, version of himself. It needed him, Narssia needed him. Would he deny them both what they craved from who he was? They wanted his affection, he knew that without a doubt. The question was: could he swallow his pride to submit to the only dragon he knew both inside and out?


	19. Broken and Born

**Chapter 19-Broken and Born**

As the days passed, Narssia found that she grew stronger and managed to find an unknown strength from within to rise back into the power that she had once held before the Orichalcos had reentered her life. Jormundur visited often, although he said little if Raxmon or herself-of-the-past were near. She knew why, having also the fear that she would slip up and tell them that she was herself seven years in the future.

Eventually she grew strong enough to leave the room she was in and join with the others. Narssia hesitated at such an offer but finally accepted and spent much of her time gazing upon the eggs that would become her sons. They were not the sons of Mirage, no that was a lie. In fact, those eggs were of the union between Rados of the future and herself. She had told such a untruth to her sons due to their curiosity that they held before developing into a reasonable age. Arxa had interfered with her plans to tell them of their true parentage and still they continued to believe her lie, somehow.

_Jormundur_, Narssia whispered after she had led them both away to speak in private. _There is something I must tell you before those eggs hatch._

_What is it, mother? _The grey dragon inquired as the end of his tail twitched with eagerness. _What is there to hide from me now?_

_Sitedal and yourself are not the sons of Mirage. You are, in fact, the offspring of a future version of a dragon that existed prior to a month ago in our normal time._

_You mean the latest kill of Arxa was our- _Jormundur was completely stunned, as Narssia though he might be.

_Father yes. I've hidden this for so long from you both. I just thought now would be right to tell you before they hatch_, Narssia growled softly, trying to be gentle with her eldest son by only seconds.

Jormundur blinked and looked away, looking back to where past-Narssia and Raxmon were. His shock and surprise was clear to his mother as she knew him as well as one could with being chained within her mind for much of his life. He growled softly and Narssia sighed, lowering her head in shame.

_I'm sorry_, she muttered as he returned his gaze to her.

_Don't be. I would have done the same thing had I been in your situation, mother. _

Narssia snorted and, unknowingly, attracted the attention of her past self and Raxmon who walked over to see what they were talking about out of curiosity. She glared at herself and Jormundur fluttered his wings in distress, hoping to deter them from coming over. Such an attempt failed and the two younger versions of the dragons they knew as Narssia and Raxmon ventured towards the greyling and his mother.

_You never have told me your name_, her past self growled and Narssia adverted her gaze. How could she bare to look at herself like this? She was broken in the world from which she came, but this image of her was so naive to the world about it.

__Axra__is what I am called__, she muttered softly, gazing at Jormundur who snorted in confusion over why she would allow who she would become to call her that.

_Axra and Akon. Fitting names for such dragons as you both are. Our humble home is open to you, feel free to live here as long as you want_, Raxmon offered as Narssia sighed and lowered her head slightly.

She could not allow such an offer to be made. What would become of the hatchlings who were younger-Jormundur and younger-Sitedal? They would be raised upon the knowledge that two similar dragons existed where they stayed. How could that be permitted?

_We cannot accept your offer, Raxmon and Narssia. We will find a place of our own to call home-_

_Nonsense_, past-Narssia snorted. _You will claim a room here, with us. We do not mind and . . . I feel the strangest connection with you both, like I know you from another time. Perhaps it is nothing but I want you to stay._

Jormundur glanced to her and Narssia silently fretted. The time frame was being messed up because of them. Because he took her back seven years to right after Mirage died and she found Raxmon. Her grey offspring was the cause of her worry, her fears now.

_We will stay_, Jormundur assured them as Narssia was still deep in thought. _I will convince her this is right, for all of us. She will see our reasoning soon enough._

Those _words_. Panic shot through her as Narssia remembered the last time she had heard that same phrasing used. The Orichalcos had whispered words of encouragement into her, trying to get her to see the logic behind such corruption. Only things took a turn for the worst. The power grew stronger, she lost control, Raxmon died.

Her shrill of terror spilt the air and Jormundur glared at her. The Orichalcos had left her, she was powerless. She had grown so weak during her imprisonment by Arxa. How could her son not see that? The fabric of corruption held so strongly to her frame that, even now, she was bound by its dark web.

**_'What is with you, mother?' _**Jormundur asked angrily inside her mind, shielding his thoughts from the other two dragons.

_I understand everything now. The-_

_**'Apparently not. I am trying to get us somewhere to stay while I figure out how my power works**_,' the grey dragon snarled as he glared at her once more, anger lapping strongly in his yellow eyes. '**_Save this stunning moment for another time.'_**

_I cannot. I know now why-_

_**'Mother! Do you want them to overhear something they are not supposed to? Guard your thoughts, project them into my head only before your tongue slips and they learn who you really are.'**_

Narssia sighed and did as asked. Her mental voice shimmered with rage upon her next words. **_'You think you are the eldest between us? Is that what I hear from you? Let me set the record straight, Jormundur. I AM your mother, your elder if you prefer, and you obey me.'_**

The faintest of tone from Arxa slowly interwove with Narssia's voice, echoing out to Jormundur that she was no longer the calm dragoness her past self was. The Orichalcos had infused itself within her, forming a new presence that was a mix of the two conflicting personalities. That was who he saw now when he looked at her. He did not see Narssia or Arxa but the mix of them, the new being formed from their connection with each other.

**_'Of course, mother. Forgive me for overstepping my boundaries.' _**He lowered his head and she relaxed slightly, enough to calm her fiery rage only to the point where she would not endanger his life before her past self and Raxmon.

_We see there are still issues between you both_, Raxmon commented as Narssia focused her attention on him, using the peace to further calm herself.

_Times of turmoil have created that_, she replied softly, noting the truthfulness to her words for the first time since they had both awoken to the world of the past. _It was not our choice for such disagreements to spawn but they grew out of control and made us rage against each other. Our lands from which we come are at war and we have failed to escape the fueled wrath from either side, even here._

_**'You speak the truth**,**'**_ Jormundur muttered faintly to her alone._** '**_Why? They care nothing for us.'_****_

**_'They do care, son. I am her, was her. I know their thoughts and what is to come. We pose no threat to their balance of life at this stage_**_,**' **_Narssia corrected him, again only within his mind.

_You must be lucky to have escaped then_, her past-self growled as she blinked and twitched the end of her tail.

_Not by the normal sense. We-_

An icy surge of power gripped at her throat, making Narssia end her words suddenly and focus her entire being on figuring out what was going on. This had not occurred in the past. Still the power pressed down on her windpipe, further constricting her breathing. Jormundur seemed concerned but she was not sure as her vision began to blur as the oxygen became less and less that entered her system.

Darkness faded to her sight as Narssia felt herself give way to the strength that held itself on her windpipe. She leaned forward and toppled to the dirt floor, surrendering to the world of unconscious for the second time in her new environment . . .

* * *

><p><strong>PRESENT<strong>

Verdra roared in pain as her body convulsed and strained to free itself of the lives it had carried for three months. Most of her injuries had healed by now but she had nightmares about the event, dreaming every night that Jormundur would return to finish her off. She didn't know he was stuck seven years in the past while she laid what would become her offspring.

Finca stayed by her side, offering encouragement and tending to the eggs that had been laid. Three glistening eggshells lay near her but Verdra strained herself as her frame was racked with violent shutters to lay a fourth egg. Most first-time female dragons laid up to three eggs but for some reason she was laying four.

_You are doing fine, my child_, Finca whispered as Verdra roared in pain and panted, every muscle in her frame shaking from the effort of laying four eggs back to back.

_I-I can't . . . I can't k-keep this up_, she growled between bursts of agony that tore into her from the painful event.

_You can! _Finca snarled in response, showing only a glimmer of the brightness that her teeth held. _Think of him. Think of Sitedal! These are your children, together. You owe it to him to not give up!_

Verdra knew that her mother was using some of the encouraging words that Tamli had once spoken to his own mate, but little was on her mind other then to rid herself of the pain that accompanied laying eggs. Another burst of pain racked her frame and she roared again, straining with all the strength she had inside.

The final burst of energy she could give was enough to finish removing the egg from within her and Finca immediately tended to it. Verdra allowed herself to breathe peacefully before looking upon the eggs herself. Three of the four where white-shelled but only one had a black shell that had once reflected the one that she had existed in before her hatching.

_I am proud of you_, Finca hummed as Verdra rested her head against her mother's shoulder. _Few dragons of your age could survive being attacked and then laying four eggs three months later. My child, the stars sing with praise over this accomplishment of yours. Do you want your father to see the eggs?_

_Not yet_, Verdra admitted, scared that he might destroy them. _A month from now it will not matter if he sees them or not._

_You feel unease around him? _Finca questioned as her voice hinted at more then just unease towards Tamli.

_That, and more. I just feel that there is something wrong about him, something that he refuses to let anyone else see. Maybe it's just my imagination . . ._

_Maybe not. I once felt that way, when he first turned and was bit by Nira. I truly feared for my life then but I grew to trust him, love him even more as a dragon then I had when he had been my rider_, the white dragoness snorted as Verdra sighed and closed her eyes.

_Why accept him after all the damage he caused you?_

_Damage? I don't understand_, Finca snorted.

_He named one of your hatchlings with him after his mother. Why not find anger with that? _Verdra inquired as she enjoyed the bonding with her mother that was the result of her most difficult time since the attack from Jormundur had happened.

Finca sighed. _Ah, I understand now. I suppose I was angered by the action but he . . . we were one then, together always and deeper then even soul mates. _She snorted in muted amusement. _He wanted to have a say in what our offspring were named._

_You did not answer my question, mother. Why allow such an act when it was his mother who wanted to rid the likes of Dhran's mother's family from the face of the earth?_

_In time you will understand_, Finca muttered as she licked Verdra's cheek lightly before turning her head to examine the eggs once more. _A dragon cannot be a dragon without always seeking further knowledge, that I have learned for myself and so must you._

Verdra growled in puzzlement but dropped the issue, inspecting her eggs for the first time. How could such small round vessels give way to their powerful kind? Light flickered off the eggs and she snarled slowly, pushing her offspring over to Finca as Tamli entered, his blackened scales coated with the slickness of blood.

_He commands your presence, daughter of mine. Outside the great tree shall you find him._

_Great Tree? Tamli, I do not even know my way around-_

Tamli growled softly._ Do not delay, child. He has come far in search of you._

_He? _Verdra questioned as she stood, her mother keeping the eggs as far from Tamli as possible. _Sitedal?_

The blackened male gave only a nod in response. It was Sitedal, he had come for her. They would finally build a life together, free of this war between Arxa and the dragons of the Compound. Verdra quickly left and Tamli moved toward his mate.

_She laid the eggs? _His tone was cold, not the tone Finca knew he would have normally held for such an occasion as this.

_Our daughter did. Is it really Sitedal who has come? _Tamli said nothing, adverting his gaze. _Answer me! Tell me the truth._

Tamli slowly turned his eyes to her, a deep longing held back within his irises. He wanted to tell her everything he knew but such was forbidden now. Everything had been laid out before him with this new state of existence. Every truth, every event yet to come. How could he tell such to his mate?

Finally he sighed. _It is him, yet there is a change that I sensed. He cares deeply for her now, his heart longs for her as his true mate._


	20. Differences of Time

**Chapter 20-Differences of Time**

Days passed for Jormundur and Narssia as they grew used to their new time stream. Being seven years in the past was not that difficult really. They only had to guard their minds from the past versions of Narssia and Raxmon that made them live in the same web of underground paths as the two did.

Months flew by as the eggs hatched and soon Jormundur was forced to hide during the day as to prevent his younger self from asking questions. Narssia was managing such disruptions fine, her temper growing thinner though with each passing day, but life was as good as they could make it.

Whatever had caused Narssia to pass out had not come over her again. She was weary of speaking with Jormundur in private but he understood her fears. The Orichalcos was growing more strongly inside the seven years prior Narssia faster than it had for her future self and this worried both time traveling dragons.

Raxmon had tried to make peace with both versions of Narssia but had only succeeded with one of them. The hatchlings, younger versions of Sitedal and Jormundur, grew more adventurous and stronger with each passing month.

When six months had passed, Ryta's egg was laid and the dragons moved into the cave that would become the place where Raxmon was killed. Narssia was seldom seen then, claiming to Jormundur that she could not stand by and watch the horrible events of the Orichalcos takeover come true once more. Although the grey dragon was interested in the lives of the past version individuals he had grown up beside, he realized his mother's fears.

_Mother! _He roared after her as she disappeared yet again into the darkness of their new home.

Jormundur snarled deeply and sent out a burst of rippling grey fog in his anger. He felt as if she was a stranger to him now since Ryta had hatched. She was his mother, she was supposed to standby him through the toils of life.

_Again she turns tail and flees_, his younger-self muttered, now at seven months old and struggling to control the gusts of fog that occasionally swirled around him. _Should she not be here? With us?_

Jormundur lifted his left forepaw and ran it over the horns of his past self's head. _I agree. Action should be done yet she is a free dragon. We can only advise, not force another to follow our requests. _He paused for a moment then whispered softly, _I can help with your ability_. _With controlling its power._

His younger self growled and agreed to such training, thus forcing Jormundur to remember how he had calmed the powerful might within himself when it had awakened for the first time. There had been such fright to come over him upon its discovery. He had blamed Narssia for bestowing it upon him, called it a curse, and left the cave for several days. The greyling adult chuckled, recalling how he limped back to the side of his mother and apologized for days on end afterwards.

* * *

><p>The meadow for which Jormundur found for the training was the very same one that Ryta had given up on Narssia in seven years later. Although he was not aware of it, he walked the same path as his mother had to the edge of the gorge, looking down deep into it before leaving to show his younger version the peaceful place that their training would be held at.<p>

_This place is beautiful_, young Jormundur muttered as they both landed, their scales reflecting the waning sunlight of the afternoon.

_Indeed it is. Now then, tell me what you know of this skill you have._

_I know that it springs up without warning, often throwing stray rocks at the others. _His time differed version paused, glancing up at him. _You know of this skill?_

_Know is an understatement, youngling. I . . . have such an ability. _Jormundur was reluctant to say anything about who he was to himself, yet he felt a kinship that went beyond the normal connection of a dragon and itself from a different time.

The eyes of the young grey dragon seemed to widen. _You have this skill? I thought I-_

_You thought you were the only one_, Jormundur interrupted, recalling his own fears of being the only dragon with such a method of attacking. _There are others, like us in ways, that also feel what you feel right now. I know this seems hard to take in but trust me, please._

Planting his talons firmly in the soft earth, the adult dragon inhaled, feeling the circulations of the wind deep in his lungs. He had not used his natural gift for a while now so it could be . . . There was no way it would just become dormant without proper cause.

A soft growl rippled from his jaws, his younger self gazing at him with expectancy. He needed to focus, to feel the edges of his power within him. That was the key to such displays of strength. The will of the mind had to be stronger than the limitations of the body. Few regular dragons could ever compete with that way of thinking as far as the skill he had was concerned. He was not a regular dragon though; he knew the limits of his skill far better than anyone did.

_Having trouble? _The smaller version of him inquired as a light snarl rose into his throat by simple reaction, not meaning to direct such a sign of anger at himself.

_A little_, he replied, sighing as he met the yellow irises of the grey hatchling. _My, uh, control is rusty. It is not a skill I use on a day-to-day basis, at least not anymore._

_Do you trust me? I mean, do you honestly believe that I can keep a secret from anyone else?_

The question startled Jormundur. He had not considered such before, yet he knew without having to answer that trustworthiness was a deep part of himself. Trust could be formed between them, a link across time to connect two time frames to each other. What choice did he have? He knew himself better than anyone so it seemed the right thing to even ponder.

_I trust you, Jormundur. _It sounded odd to him to be adding his own name to the end of his words, felt as if he was betraying himself. _Why do you ask of this?_

_Because I . . . I think we might be the same dragon. I know the thought seems crazy but we have the same eye and scale color and our abilities are the exact similar thing. Has not the idea struck you of this before I mentioned it?_

The idea of their similarity had finally reached out to him from himself. Jormundur snorted in amusement and nodded slowly. Had not he known this before even having taken his younger form under his wing as far as training went? It had been his knowledge all along that they were the same dragon, differed by time.

_We are the same_, Jormundur whispered softly as the sound of wing beats resounded in the air around the meadow. _You and I are both Jormundur, son of Narssia._


	21. A Challenge Brought

**Chapter 21-A Challenge Brought**

The fragrant scent of lilac and rose met past-Narssia as she descended from the air into the meadow, Ryta close by her side. Her son and the other grey dragon immediately took to the air, realizing the need to stay away as this was private between the two females. Unknown to her though, her future form landed off to the side to hear every word spoken without being seen, laying down in the deep gorge that seemed to have no end.

Ryta twitched and swatted at a passing fly with her tail before Narssia gave a soft growl and the younger dragoness turned her attention to her mother. _Yes? _She asked timidly, a tone not quite normal for the caring dragon she was.

_Pay attention_, Narssia growled, letting her gaze fall to the grass and flowers that brushed against her powerful claws. _You wanted an answer so here we are, ask your question._

_Tell me why Father was not the first! _The brown hatchling squeaked, anger rising quickly into her voice. _Why did you not come out with the information beforehand until revealing it now? Did Jormundur and Sitedal know of this?_

Narssia was slow to answer, fearing she would say the wrong thing and insult her daughter. _I wanted to tell you but-_

_Do not lie to me! _Ryta screeched. _Answer truthfully, mother._

A sigh escaped the black female. _As you wish. I mated with one dragon prior to Raxmon, his name was Mirage . . ._

The black dragoness that nether saw growled softly, noting the obvious lie in the choice of words. Rados from the future of their future had been the father, not Mirage as her past self claimed. She would not interject, nor show herself to either of them before the time was right.

_So they know of the fact that their sire was a great and powerful dragon? _Ryta inquired of the idea that Mirage was the father of her brothers.

_To some extent. I have never fully outright told them the truth_, Narssia confessed.

_He must have died then. How?_

Narssia stiffened as she walked over to the rim of the gorge where her future self lay listening in on the conversation between mother and daughter. The truth would deeply hurt her child, she had to make up an excuse for why he died. If the real reason came out then she would have to explain about her rider and . . .

_Mother? _Concern was thick within her words as Ryta grew worried over how Narssia had not answered her simple question.

_Mirage died from a freak lighting storm. He was flying and, well, our bones have a faint metallic compound to them that enables us to take to the air being as we are so bulky. Anyway, lighting struck him at the tips of his horns, traveling down through his body as if he was one big electric circuit. I tried to save him but I could not given the damage he took from the nerve-frying jolt of raw electric power that tapped through his veins and, basically, short circuited his entire system. Being as damaged as he was, he died immediately, without having ever seen the eggs or witnessed them hatch. _

Ryta trembled slightly as Narssia gazed down into the gorge. She had bended the truth some. There had been no lightning storm, no electric current to run through the dragon she had begun to love. He had been killed by an eccentric dragoness that got what she was due.

_I am sorry for your loss, mother_, the brown fledgling confessed as she joined Narssia near the edge.

_The pain lessens with time_, Narssia sighed, that much being true. Her heart still ached for Mirage but she had long since stopped mourning his death.

_Would it be possible for a dragon to ever find its destined soul mate?_

The question startled Narssia, both of them actually. Narssia of the future did not recall Ryta asking such an inquiry of her during their talk about Mirage. Past-Narssia was as equally stunned, not expecting such a question from her own daughter.

_I suppose such is possible. What brought this on, my child?_

_Nothing, just thoughts that tend to go nowhere and run in circles_, Ryta sighed as their eyes met and the black female noticed how much alike they truly were besides the connections through genes and traits.

_Most female dragons never truly dream of such_, Narssia of the future time interjected as she crawled up out of the gorge and stopped beside her past self who gazed in suspension. _Relax, I will not endanger either of you although I have been listening in on the conversation since it began._

_You listened in? This was private, between two dragons with powerful mental walls . . . _Ryta broke off, confusion clouding her thoughts.

Past-Narssia glanced at herself before directing her attention to her child, a low growl springing into her throat. _Leave us be, we are not-_

_I do not wish to cause trouble_, Narssia growled softly, her tone quickly adapting the coarseness of Arxa's, _but I do wish to ask a simple question of you both. Do you know who I am?_

To the outsider, it might have seemed that Narssia had simply asked for a name but she wanted to assure herself that they had no clue of who she might be, nor know of who Jormundur was. That was simply her goal and she would achieve it one way or another. She would honor her promise to attack neither of them if they did what she asked, otherwise they were fair game.

**You are not welcome here! **The brutally of the presence of past-Arxa brought peace to Narssia but also unnerved her. So long had passed since the Orichalcos had laid claim to her, taken control over her. Could she even fight it off now? Defend herself against the darkness?

**_The pleasure is great_**, a dark corner of her mind whispered back and the dragoness snarled sharply, flaring her wings. Not now, not when things were looking good for Jormundur and herself! Arxa could not be returning, not this early!

_I understand now who you are_, past-Narssia admitted, snorting faintly,_ _due to the darkness. I asked it to unlock who you truly were, given I recognized the similarities in our voice. __The claws on her right taloned foreleg came together, digging through the grass. _Come out with the truth or I will force it out of you._

_You think you can force it from me? If you try then let Ryta save you because I will not break my promise to the grey dragon, to my very son. _A fierce growl rose into Narssia's throat, baring the entire brutality of Arxa's own heart-pounding snarl.

_I do not hide from a challenge_, Narssia-of-the-past snapped back, guarding Ryta with her tail from the black dragon before her.

Ryta growled. _What? I'm confused. Who is she, mother?_

_Narssia_, both uttered at the same moment, eyes flickering with rage against the other.


	22. Differed Fate

**Chapter 22-Differed Fate**

_How? How can both of you be Narssia? _Ryta questioned as she glanced between the both of them, shock overriding her.

_They time-traveled, both Jormundur and herself_, past-Narssia answered as her present-day form snarled with fury.

_Time traveled? How can a dragon . . . ?_

Ryta did not get to finish her question as both versions of Narssia roared in preparation for a fight. Things would be evenly matched between them, or so Narssia believed her past-self thought. She had more powers, some by the father of her sons who had just been her most recent kill. It might just be one power difference but time also made their fight uneven. The training of her youth would be of no advantage but . . .

Flaring her wings, her past-self took to the air as Narssia following her movements with a trained eye. She was predictable to herself, this was almost cruel to fight between them. A sudden blast of mental force broke her thoughts and she took a step back, clutching the shale under her left taloned hind leg. It seemed Arxa wanted to get involved in this too.

A burst of blackened fire rained down and Narssia countered the flaming sparks that directed themselves near her with a stream of ice, stunning her past-self slightly. Taking to the air as well, she shot off a ripple of light, its shadowed appearance reminding her of Finca's Shadowfire. Narssia-of-the-past avoided the strike and climbed higher, prompting her present-time version to follow.

_You think that helps? _Narssia roared, expecting no answer. _You should know better. Higher attitudes only increase the strain on us for an attack._

Her past self then turned and came straight back down, heading for her. Fire rushed downward but was funneled into a spin and Narssia blinked in surprise. So she had underestimated herself then, not a problem. A simple stream of ice met the flames and the two moves battled it out for who would win, thus creating a massive amount of steam which descended over the field.

_You're good_, her past-self snorted as she stopped the attack and banked to the right to avoid the ice stream, then folding her wings by her side and rushed downward to collide with herself.

Narssia flipped backwards, using her tail to batter away the charge and then rammed her horns into the chest of herself. A similar pain erupted from her chest, causing her to become distracted and lose focus enough to have a gust of fire thrown at her, searing her scales.

_Stop reflecting the pain! _

_I am not. We are the same so we feel the same pain_, she snapped back, feeling the rage of the darkness rise up in her and begin to travel up her throat.

She rushed at herself, catching the younger dragon and locking a taloned hand over her throat, and then began to spin downward. The initial impact knocked the wind out of her past-self but did nothing to her and she raised her head, opening her maw. A faint green light shone from the back of her throat and her time differed self pressed tightly into the grass below her back.

The light grew brighter, revealing itself to be the similar shade of green as the Orichalcos. This was a power gifted to her from the Orichalcum for her complete obedience to the shadows of her soul. One attack would end it. Rid the world of her past-self. All she had to do was let the power loose, free her mind from the shackles of corruption . . .

_NARSSIA!_

A deafening roar caught her off guard and Narssia broke free from her past-self. She snarled softly and spun around, trying to locate who it might have been that disrupted her intent to kill. Jormundur and his younger self landed near her past form as it lay heaving on the ground, his tail raised in case a fight was needed. What had she been thinking? She could have died if the attack had worked. Slowly she clamped her jaw shut and circled around to land away from the three dragons, watching her younger form stagger to its feet. How could she have been drawn to such a destructive path? All she wanted to do was be free from the sorrow of Mirage's death. The Orichalcum preyed upon her weakness, taking her over without a true fight. It was not the darkness that terrified her but the idea of having to face Arxa again made her tremble in fear. The shadows of corruption, the strength of the Orichalcum, had polluted her very mind from the time of her partnership with her rider.

Only one answer would give her the peace she needed, she slowly realized with conviction. An answer Jormundur might not like and result in her past-self becoming afraid to do it. Yet with the evil around her, the idea was brilliant and clever to come from her own mind. Narssia glanced at her son as he watched her with uncertain eyes. The time had come, there would be no holding back. Any hesitation would, ultimately, lead to her death.

* * *

><p><em>You what? <em>Jormundur roared, baring his teeth in full view as his tail smacked the ground in rage. _Why this, mother? Did it even occur to you what the consequences were?_

_I understand the risk_, Narssia growled softly, _but I have no choice, Jormundur. I am . . . terrified of returning to our time and having Arxa claim rule over me once more. Can I not be allowed to make my own choices? Am I not an individual dragon?_

The grey dragon snorted, turning away his head. They were left alone in a small alcove inside the cave where the others would not bother them, so long as they stayed relatively quiet. Of all the things she could do while they were in the past . . . What gave her this nerve to test him? He was not one to be tried to the point of anger, that he thought she knew well enough.

_Mother_, he growled with restraint over his own voice, _tell me why this seems so important to you? I feel like this will forever divide us if you choose this path and I . . . I do not want that to happen._

Jormundur returned his gaze to her, his eyes filled with a level of emotion that only she could figure out. _I know_, she whispered softly, her own eyes filling with tears. _I know this pains you, my child, yet I see no other way. Amnesia must be my opinion before we return. I know that without it, I will fight my hardest and lose to the darkness of the Orichalcum. If that occurs then everything you and Ryta have tried will be for nothing. I just want to help . . . as much as I can._

_You said the Orichalcum. Is it not the Orichalcos? _He pondered with a growl of worriment over her choice to erase everything that she was just to aid him in ridding Arxa from where the darkness had settled in her very being following the death of her rider.

_The Atlanteans referred to it as the Orichalcum, my son. I say it as a way of remembering my rider . . . _Her voice trailed off, lost in the whirlwind of her thoughts. Memories rose of the brief time she shared with her partner-of-mind, a time when she was young and free of the shadows that had slowly sneaked up on her and corrupted her. It seemed so long ago now, like a distant shadow of a dream.

_Remembering our rider I see_, the time-differed version of herself commented as she head snaked around one of the sides of the alcove, yellow eyes glinting with curiosity.

_Stay out of this-_

_Mother_, Jormundur snarled softly,_ _is that really the way to behave? You are her, she is you, and together you are one in the same. There is no need for you to ask either of us to give you amnesia-__

_Give her what? _Her past self glared at her, eyes fueled with rage. _Why was I not told of this? You dare to keep from me what I need to know!_

_That was not my intention_, Narssia admitted.__ _I only wished to speak with my son about it first, if you mind.___

_I have a right to information concerning myself, be it present or future . . ._

_No you do not_, Narssia snarled, focusing her gaze solely on herself, her eyes burning bright with bloodlust.

The tension between the two had not faded since their battle in the meadow. Both knew that and had remained ready to restart their fight at a moment's notice. Jormundur only hoped that peace could be kept long enough to deal with the issue that now faced them.

_I have no problems opening old wounds if I must_, the younger version of herself hissed as Narssia narrowed her eyes in anger.

_If you so dare . . . _

_Then what?_

A fierce roar leaped from her throat as Narssia turned and sprang onto the younger dragoness. Her anger had been tested and now the full force of it would be waged to achieve her goal. There would be no backing down, not now. Claws and fangs battered against the other's iron-like scales and did little damage as the two rolled along the floor while trying to gain ground over their opposite.

For Narssia, this proved difficult. She had not fought face-to-face in some time, except while under Arxa's control. However, her pride urged her on and helped to give her time to think and figure out a way to end it before things turned worse. Using her tail, she tripped her past self and then staggered to her feet, breathing heavily out of lack of energy.

The air which Makiar had forced her to breath still affected and afflicted her. It probably would for a while longer, but that was not her main concern right now. Towering over herself, her eyes blazed with unrestrained rage. Jormundur would not be allowed to stop her this time. This would be the end for the troubles of her past! Raxmon would be allowed to live.

_You really want to kill me that badly? _Her younger self whispered softly in her thoughts. _I pity you. The Orichalcum has-_

SNAP!

Narssia backed away, struggling for breath as the less developed form of her time-differed self impaled its tail into her chest. How she could have done that was beyond comprehension right now, with the searing pain washing over her entire body. Her son tried to rush forward but was halted by some word from the dragoness still on the ground.

From the pain, the black dragoness could tell that her smaller framed variation had struck close to her heart but not into it. Little else mattered behind that certain knowledge. Blood rushed from her chest as she staggered and the blood-splattered tail drew back, resting on the dirt floor.

Black spots danced before her eyes as Narssia fought to stay conscious but the effort was futile. With one last look at her grey son frantically trying to come to her aid, she surrendered to the darkness of unconsciousness . . . .


	23. New Courtships

**Chapter 23-New Courtships**

_Sitedal? _Verdra questioned as she made her way up the remaining steps and out into the light of the natural world, a world from which she had come prior to meeting Uria and being introduced to the dragons of the Compound.

Sitedal's blackened scales were caked in drying blood, his eyes closed and his head titled away from her. She still knew it was him even though he did not speak immediately. Their experience had touched her and remained with her throughout the road to her recovery.

_I never imagined I would get to see you again_, he whispered softly, a low growl rippling from deep within his throat as he opened his left eye to gaze upon her.

_I felt the same_, she confessed. _The eggs though . . ._

_I know. The dragon which came before told me. I do not condone his behavior but instead see it as an act of free will. _Sitedal turned his entire head to face her, revealing a long bloody gash which started at his eyeridge, running down through his right eye, and ending at his jawbone.

_He . . . did this to you? _

_There can be no good which comes from retribution for such an act. I made my choice to follow after you and I accept all that is caused by it. _His voice remained tender, soft even though the wound made it hard to look at him.

Verdra gave a low growl of respect for his decision to follow her as Sitedal made his way toward her with shaky steps. It was clear that he was still in shock over the sudden attack on him, despite his calm behavior. He sighed and lowered his gaze away from her, as if to somehow shield her from the pain of seeing him in his current state.

_If I could change what occurred then I would_, Sitedal muttered as she stopped before him and gently licked his wound, taking special care around his eye.

The purple iris beneath the scarred lid slowly revealed itself as Verdra ran her tongue over it for a third time. Sitedal had stopped to allow her to soothe him with her gentle way of affection towards him. Most of the white for that eye was filled with blood and a deep gash also ran through the eye as it had for the eyelid. Verdra decided that she would find the one who had done such damage and take revenge, no dragon could afford to bear such a wound during their time of turmoil and fear from the presence of Arxa.

_Revenge would not suit you, Verdra . . ._

_How do you know my name? I certainly was not able to tell you during our brief time together, so how . . . ?_

Sitedal snorted, closing his injured eye as it began to throb with pain._ _The one who attacked upon my arrival spoke your name to me. I think the name fits beautifully for one such as you.__

_Thank you, Sitedal. _Verdra paused for a moment, finding her thoughts drifting to the eggs she had left in Finca's care. _Should we ponder names for our offspring yet?_

The black male remained silent for some time, leaving Verdra wondering if she should not have spoken at all about the eggs. There was no telling how he would react to the prospect of having children at their age. Finally Sitedal spoke, although the words seemed labored and heavy-burdened.

_I think such should wait until they hatch and we are able to see which gender befalls each of them. However, the __ultimate choice is up to you and I will stand by your decision, whatever it may be._

_Sitedal_, Verdra whispered as the dragon turned away his head and signed. Was he giving up? Did he not remember his legacy? He had a parentage to be respected, not one to be left to the cruelty of dragons which did not honor it.

_Giving up might be my only opinion_, he muttered softly, his words catching her off-guard. _She is fueled by such darkness that we cannot win against it. Even her best is no match for the Corruption of the menace anymore._

Verdra took a step back out of shock._ _You mean Arxa has free reign?__

_Exactly. I am trying my hardest to achieve what Ryta wanted of Jormundur and myself but now I realize that it is a lost __cause. No more is she the mother I once knew, but now is the shadow of a darkness so powerful that none are able to escape its grasp. ___Once the power ruled our ancestors and yet now it seeks to do the same with us. __Sitedal glanced at her, reopening his torn eye as sorrow lanced heavily throughout his words.

Silence enfolded them as each sought a way to speak of the danger which lurked around them. Sitedal signed and finally dropped his gaze to the grass under his claws, forcing his thoughts into a whirl of confusion to block any attempt of metal communication between them out of habit more than rejection.

* * *

><p>The cold metal of a wash basin rested against the sweat-coated cheek of Aurelia. For days she had been sick, throwing up any food in her system only hours after consuming it. Her black hair, instead of pulled back into a normal ponytail, was thrown into a crud bun to keep it out the way. Another wave of nausea overtook her and she clutched to the smooth porcelain with all her strength as violent shutters racked her frame while she sent back up what she had eaten only an hour before. Here she was in a small bathroom set apart from the main chamber she often used to treat the dragons which came to her, the entire room baring the same design as everywhere else in the Compound. She had closed the brown wooden door to the room only for privacy, yet the very idea seemed more like a lost cause. The door was not thick so any sound she made could be heard easily into the next room.<p>

It was not her normal style to admit that she was sick, most people in powerful positions like herself often refused to accept their own weakness, yet whatever the illness was had started to affect her very job. She was supposed to take care of the dragons of the Compound, but how could she do that when she could barely take care of herself? A gentle knock resounded through the door to the room she was in, a sound that only one other down in the tunnels could make that was not scaled.

Her hands tried to steady her as she grasped at the sides of the white bin, lifting her dulled blue eyes to the door. She was too weak to stand, the nausea having taken most of her strength along with the food in her. Despite this, a shaky croak left her now bloodied throat and managed to form words.

"Who is it?"

The knock sounded again, this time more gentle. Although the gesture was nice, Aurelia knew that she would not be able to get to her feet to politely answer the door as she should. She painfully swallowed and repeated her attempt at a question.

"Dhran Airu Ricata," answered the individual on the other side of the door, before a hand pushed the thin wooden slab inward to where she was currently having to remain.

Dhran seemed like a hero to Aurelia as she watched him enter and sweep his gaze around the room before focusing on her alone. His broad shoulders carried the weight of his heavy brown tunic, opposed to the blood-stained white shirt which drooped from her thin frame. A thin strap of dark brown leather held his pants close to his frame and even they, a lighter brown than the belt but darker than the tunic, seemed custom fit just for him. He had on a light tan pair of shoes but she cared not to notice their design or style. Her eyes watched as a lock of his silver hair, normally cut short, dangled by his left ear, covering the tipped point of it from her view.

"Why come?" She whispered before leaning back over the edge of the wash basin and succumbing to violent dry heaves which only resulted in her own blood coming up.

"I heard through the door." Dhran shrugged as he glanced back to the thin slab of wood to make sure no one else was coming.

With no other person in sight, he walked over to her and kneeled beside her, squeezing her right shoulder gently. They had talked some about seeking a relationship, being the only two humans down in the tunnels now but they had only been forced to sleep together a couple of months ago due to a cold spell which required extra body warmth in the nighttime. Yet a nagging thought distracted him, forcing him to remember all the times they had been even remotely close to each other.

"I wanted to do right," Aurelia murmured as she collected herself and leaned back into his chest, resting her head against his strong abdominal muscles. She felt drained of strength but yet seemed calmer with him being near her. "I wanted to make a difference. What if things went wrong? Would you still be there?"

"Where would I go to?" Dhran questioned, stroking her hair as he sat down, allowing her to rest more comfortably against him. "The rest of the world is claimed by Arxa, there is nothing out there worth giving a life to see."

Aurelia rose slightly off his chest, his hand squeezing her shoulder a little harder in case she was about to be sick again. "You mean that?"

"With all my heart," Dhran replied as he reached behind him with a hand, the other dropping off her shoulder as it became clear to him that she wouldn't interrupt the moment before them by being sick again.

A slight glimmer of joy skirted his gaze as he brought out a small box, the entire surface of which gleamed in white scales. Backing away, Dhran waited until Aurelia turned around to face him before lifting one knee and balancing on the other knee and the ball of the risen foot. The hand which held the box placed it firmly into the palm of his other hand, now flipped up toward him and ready for whatever came of the next few moments.

"Would you, Aurelia Zara, be my wife?"

His eyes watched in caution as she stared at the box. Slowly he lifted the lid and revealed the small ring inside. The band, although mostly silver, bore a thin strip of medium-shade green and another of medium-shade blue that twisted around each other and around the circle of metal. The classical diamond embedded into it was a pure extract from what had been Mirage's eldunari. After much consideration, it had been his wish that Mirage's presence be felt with this invitation as the dragon had been the reason behind his unnatural growth spurt.

Aurelia covered her mouth with her hand as she observed the beauty of the ring. Dhran was briefly concerned that she might be nauseated but a soft cry of joy from her silenced his thoughts. Her eyes glimmered with untapped happiness as she slowly reached out her right hand toward him for the ring to be placed on her ring finger.

"I would be honored," she managed through the emotions which flooded her and made it hard to speak.

A radiant smile broke out on Dhran's face as he helped her stand and slid the ring onto its proper place on her hand, marveling at the additional beauty it gave his now fiancee. Reacting, she leaned in and hugged him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. He waited a few moments before she took a step back and then cupped his left hand under her jaw, raising her head and lowering his to exchange in the first of many kisses between them.

"I shall be yours forever, Aurelia, if that is what you wish," he cooed gently as his green eyes remained fixated on her blue irises as they broke off their kiss.

"There would be no greater pleasure, Dhran," she whispered in reply, clutching tight to him as her strength continued to remain near nonexistent due to the sudden illness which had come upon her without warning.

A tremor suddenly ran through her and Aurelia broke free from their embrace to heave into the small porcelain toilet once more. Dhran gently stroked her back and whispered softly to her that everything was going to be fine, that she would get past this. Sweat coated her face when she finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her tense grip on the edges of the bowl, feeling drained of strength once again and also cold.

"Here," Dhran offered as she turned around to bury her face into his chest, shaking severely. The back of his hand touched briefly against her forehead and he growled in displeasure.

"What is it?" Aurelia asked weakly as she picked up on his unhappiness. "What bothers you, Dhran?"

Keeping his voice as steady as he could, Dhran muttered, "Your temperature. It has risen and you feel warm to me, too warm. Is there someone you know that could look you over?"

"Makiar but she has never . . . "

"Does not matter," he snapped back angrily. An apology soon followed before he spoke again. "I am sorry for jumping to conclusions, love. Wait here-"

Aurelia squeezed his arm suddenly, clenching her teeth in pain as she closed her eyes. Dhran quickly scanned the room to find something to ease her down onto but could locate nothing worthwhile and thus gently eased her back onto the floor, staying with her until she leaned once more over the rim of the basin. It pained him to see her this fragile, considering she had saved his life moments after Mirage's death years ago.

With Aurelia dry heaving painfully, Dhran made the choice to slip out and go find Makiar. Whatever was going on, he hoped the idea that had snuck into his head was not what was happening to his soon-to-be wife. Hopefully the red dragoness would know and be able to figure out the cause. Only that concerned him as he quickly walked down the hallway from where Aurelia stationed her location in the dark underground network.


	24. Painful Wounds

**Chapter 24-Painful Wounds**

The gentle breeze combined with the calming, warming rays of the sun soothed Narssia as she lingered near the entrance to the cave where Raxmon would eventually be killed. Although a week had passed, she was still deeply concerned for both her son and herself. How could she have caused all of this? She knew the answer yet . . . the very thought made her cringe in fear. _Weakness_. Was that the only thin which could be said about her? A sigh rippled past her closed jaws as the remembrance of the fight she had brought upon her past self clouded her thoughts. Jormundur had healed her with the help of Raxmon but the scars still ran deep in her memory. There had been no hesitation in the gaze of her own younger eyes, no thought of holding back. Could she have lost that? Had it been the overwhelming presence of Arxa which had conformed her into a helpless bystander in her own body?

Soft padded footsteps behind her causing her to turn her head slowly, believing it to be Jormundur who was coming to comfort her. A low growl resounded deep in her throat when the green eyes of Raxmon met her gaze. She could barely stand to look at him without the memories of what she had done creeping into her mind. There could be no forgiveness for what she had done to him, how she had taken his life without a second thought.

_I am sorry for what she did to you. It was uncalled for and I wish to impart my deepest sympathy towards you_. Narssia cringed, swallowing painfully as Raxmon's words cut her to her very core. He reminded her so much of her former rider. Had they been related somehow in a different time and place?

_I appreciate those words, Raxmon. _Narssia swallowed again as she allowed herself to call upon her mental strength to get her through what she had to say. _There are things I never told you, things I should have. I am Narssia, the same one as your mate, only from a different time. When we met for the first time, having never seen each other before, I failed to tell you of my vow to Corruption. It has a hold on her now as it held tight to me before Jormundur took us to the past. He and I wanted to reveal who we were but we made the choice to hide our real names from your both until ether of you figured it out. You know I love you with all my heart, but you die because of my foolish choices and stubbornness to let you in before things got out of hand. _

She drew another shaky breath. _We will be leaving soon and you can have your normal life back. I just wish I could tell you everything but there is no way to do so, short from saving you from your own death. Promise me, Raxmon. Promise me you will look after her and keep her safe. Do not bring this up with her, do not speak of anything you have heard me say to you ever._

With those words spoken to him, Narssia stood and lowered her gaze, focusing her attention on the stone beneath her claws. It hurt her deeply to leave Raxmon like this but there was no other way. He would die and, no matter her regret, she would not save his life even though the very thought nagged in her mind.

Raxmon hesitated before speaking, seeming to struggle for the right words. _You know how I die?_

_More than that, Raxmon. I am the one who ends your very life. _The air felt tense to Narssia as she raised her gaze and stared into his eyes, unsure of whether she should have spoken or not.

_You-You kill me? _Raxmon snarled softly, his tone reflecting surprise more than anger. _How, if I might ask?_

Narssia sighed. _Bite to the back of the neck. You never felt the stinging pain but it deeply impacted Jormundur, Sitedal, and Ryta._

_You knew all along how I would die? You knew and yet you failed to even mention it to me! _Raxmon roared, baring his teeth in hatred as Narssia looked away in shame.

_I wanted to_, she whispered. _Believe me, I wanted to let you know but I was afraid-_

_You are afraid of nothing! _Raxmon growled, slapping his tail down right by her left foreleg. _At least, that is the Narssia I have come to know._

The dragoness closed her eyes, fighting against the tears which threatened to spill over and show Raxmon her vulnerabiliity. Encountering him this way brought up too many painful memories of their time together as mates, however short that time truly had been. There was no way she could bare it any longer. Raxmon had to be told the truth, all of the truth.

* * *

><p>The cavern was dark, the only lighting for miles lay behind him as Dhran felt his way towards where Makiar held her claim to a small cavern which served as her home. As small as the cave might be, he decided that she had at least hidden it well, even from himself. Closing his eyes, he stopped and tried to control himself. Things were fine, Aurelia would be fine, but he had to get to Makiar. He had to know if his darkest thoughts were reality, if she was pregnant.<p>

Although he had no light to guide him, Dhran used his mind to search for the ruby dragoness, figuring Finca might be near as well. He was not sure what to make of the relationship between the two female dragons, even though he knew the story of their joined time of turnmoil. Finca was years younger than Makiar, yet sought out the older dragon for advice, was that it?

Finally patches of a mental conversation reached him and Dhran sighed, having guessed the two speaking from the way of their conversation. He was headed the right way; it was not much further.

_. . . Makiar, what part of this escapes your level of comprehension? Tamli needs this, we need this. As much as I regret even asking for your advice, I know this is right. He is unstable, broken down to his very core, and something needs to be done before it becomes too late._

_I see your point, Finca, but think of Verdra and her eggs for a moment-_

_Do not bring that up! _Silence for a moment or so. Dhran could only guess that Finca slammed her tail into the floor or into a nearby wall in an outburst of anger. _Never speak of that in my presence, do I make myself clear? The very thought of eggs sends a chill up my spine, reminding me of the egg I left my own son. I assume he is dead now since we have received no communcation from him or his mate in years!_

_Finca, they could be . . . I see your point. _Dhran chuckled softly, respecting Makiar's decision to let the matter drop.

As he neared further, Dhran heard a third voice enter the conversation, one he was no familiar with. It sounded masculine yet also strangely odd, as if it bore a darkness to it which came from an earlier time. _Makiar, Finca, this idea must be put to rest for the time being. There is no doubt that Tamli is unstable but the greater issue which faces us is Narssia. We should be focusing our efforts to how to subdue her and break the bond which links her to Arxa then spend our time worrying over the mental state of the most powerful dragon to exist._

_I do not believe we have met_, Makiar growled. _What is your name, stranger?_

_You know my name, yet not the face I wear_, the new dragon sighed.

Everything was quiet for another minute or so and eventually Dhran made it to the entrance to Makiar's chamber. He was earger to meet this newcomer, excited to welcome it into a surviving band of dragons were it could live in peace and harmony despite the turnmoil from Arxa's commanding presence. When he entered the small, hallowed room, his gaze fell immediately to a dark purple dragon with orange eyes that stood in the center of the circular space.

The newcomer's gaze fell to him and Dhran gasped. Its eyes! Slowly the eyes were turning colors to a medium purple hue and the outline of its scales were disappearing and altering themselves into the creamy white skin of a human. Audible sounds of bone breaking reached him but Dhran was focused on the creature before him as it finished changing its shape from dragon to human. It wore a light brown tunic and dark brown pants, similar to his own, yet streaks of grey intertwined with its natural white hair.

_Tamli? _Finca growled questioningly as Dhran suddenly realized that both Makiar and herself were also in the room as well.

A soft smile tugged at the human's bloodied lips and he lifted a hand to wipe away the thin smear of blood which flowed freely from the corners of his mouth. "The one and only," he smirked as Makiar snarled in bitter disgust.

_How did you just do that and be able to manage the pain? _Makiar growled, straining to hide her anger deep within her words.

"Six years of practice helps," Tamli muttered as he panted, clenching his fists to keep them from shaking out of exhaustion. "But the pain is still there. It is not something I would wish on my worst enemy."

Makiar turned her gaze to Dhran, a coldness creeping into her irises that made him draw back out of fear. _Why have you come, son of Neptune?_

"Aurelia," Dhran managed, still shaken by all he had seen and by Makiar's cold reception of him.

"Of course," Tamli muttered under his breath, loud enough for Makiar and Finca to overhear him. "That blind sighted fool lied to me about her."

A sudden crash outside the room broke the attention from Tamli and Finca growled, promising she would check it out. With her frame moving toward the darkness, her mate sighed and dropped his gaze to the ground, relaxing his hands as the pain subsided.

_It's okay_, Finca growled as she returned, her side bracing Aurelia and keeping the human standing upright. _The weakened __healer has come. There is no need to say what you came to say, Dhran._

Aurelia managed a weak smile as Dhran turned and held out a hand, helping her to his side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. Finca returned to Tamli's side and only then did the human speak once more.

"The very change and shape of matter is fused from two forces, one as different from the other. Aurelia and Dhran, you have my deepest sympathy and well-being for this new time in your lives. May you remember all of what you have been taught and what you have seen in the lives of other dragons."

Makiar's eyes flickered to Tamli as he spoke and then to Dhran. _Come then_, she hissed before walking out of the room.

* * *

><p>With Tamli and Finca alone for the time being, he sighed and began to alter his structure back into the form of a dragon. Finca waited for him, her gaze intrigued at the display of a skill she had never seen before.<p>

_Does it hurt? _She asked as he twitched with an involuntary spasm of pain.

_Not as much as it used to_, he admitted before locking eyes with her. _I want to tell you some things which you cannot reveal to anyone else. Can you give me your word on this?_

Finca nodded and silently stood, waiting for him to continue. _Very well_, Tamli sighed. _Who you know as Arxa is not the real name of the spirit. Arxa was simply formed from-_

_I know how she derived the name, Tamli_, Finca interjected, clarifying her knowledge for him.

_Alright, I was unaware you knew. Anyway, you know her real name as does Makiar, yet the circumstances have forbid you from dwelling on the idea. I will say it now: Nethial._

Finca snorted. _She died on the Atlantean battlefield! You told me you held her body and watched her take her last breath! Is that not true now?_

_It is true, love. I just . . . _Tamli paused for a moment, struggling to find the right words.

_You felt the timing was not right for such knowledge to be revealed, I understand_, Finca cut in, a thin layer of smoke rising from her nostrils.

Tamli sighed. Somehow, despite the chaos that seemed to rule their lives, Finca always knew the right thing to say. Perhaps it was because she was born into her natural role, her true form? He doubted such but the thought was intriguing considering that he was the son of two dragons - abeit both deceased now - and that his mother had existed in spirit prior to his conception. She had entered into the frame of a human girl and had convinced his father, the mighty dragon Mirage, to mate with her by fooling him into thinking her host was indeed a dragon. Having witnessed Szara's fierceness and unusual talents during their fight, Tamli was surprised that she had not seduced any other dragons in the same manner as she had done with Mirage.

Finca nudged him with her snout, a playful edge to her otherwise rough behavior. Tamli blinked in surprise and snorted, letting a thin layer of frost collect around his maw. _Continue_, she urged softly, her warm yellow eyes burning into him like molten topaz.

_I . . . I should have told you_, Tamli confessed, feeling the earth under his claws and sensing those that lived in the dirt. _Yet, what I did make it only fair that you lash out at me. _Finca blinked. _You deemed Nethial dead for all those years while I felt her presence seek me out several times during those ten-thousand years of mental torture._

Caught off-guard by the statement, Finca changed the subject for a moment. _You never speak of the mental three-way mind-link you had with Amia and Santerous for that lengthy period of separation between us. Are you afraid of those times? Is that why you say so little about that time of your life?_

Tamli flinched, jerking back from any contact with Finca. He never spoke of those years for a reason, yet . . . here his own mate was trying to force him to bring up the past and uncover what had been buried for many ages since his darkest hours. A low snarl softly rose from deep in his chest and he adverted his gaze from her.

_Do not bring that up_, he warned, his tone icy. _Never force me to remember what it was like to have my very **soul **ripped from me!_

_Soul? _FInca questioned. _I don't follow. You were not aware of your dual-nature in those year so why . . . ?_

Tamli trembled, clenching his jaws. It would do him no good to lose control and lash out at her. Finca had not been there during those terrible days of agony; she had not witnessed what Amia had forced him to do as punishment for disobedience to follow an order or answer a simple question.

**The skin-prickling feeling of a soundless scream brushed his consciousness, unconcerned with how he reacted to the motion. A sea of faces, both human and dragon alike, invaded his mind and threatened to grab hold of the frail shell that remained of who he was since the joining of three spirits into one body. Losing Finca has devasted him; the very thought that he could no longer just extend his mind and touch her own tore at his sanity.**

_Tamli?_

He tore away from the feeling of helplessness that he had experienced when she spoke once more to him. Her eyes seemed so caring, so gentle. When had he felt that way last? Not since the battles he had waged mentally against himself for leaving her to defend her in Atlantis. The right choice had been made to save her heart-of-hearts from falling into the hands of one who could have done wrong with it but was the outcome what he truly had expected from such a decision?

_Tamli? _Finca growled again, softer this time. _Are you alright? You seem pale, sickly almost._

How could he hide these things from her? She was his other half, his soul mate. Lying to her would be the same as lying to himself.

_I never spoke of those years to you out of fear_, Tamli admitted as he laid down, resting his head on his forepaws.

_Fear? _Finca growled in questioning. _What was there to fear from me? You know I would never turn my back on you . . ._

**"_Tamli, always the loner of the group. Can you never admit the painful truth or must I spell it out for you? You are afraid of having those you love turn against you_." Amia mentally smirked as he grabbed Tamli by the collar of his cloak, allowing Santerous control to spend time tormenting the one who he hated with all his being. "_Finca never felt respect for you. She would gladly turn against you to get power, she is a dragon after all . . . _"**

Tamli blinked back the memory as Finca roughly growled and slapped her tail down beside him. _Did you hear me?_

_Amia said you would gladly turn against me for power. He spoke as if all dragons would willingly turn back on the promise which was made in the wan of the Drago-Atlan war._

Finca snorted, confused. Tamli hesitated for a moment before continuing, _I thought his words were wrong but after what he made me do to all those innocent people I slowly saw how he had lost his faith in dragons. Although Nor'ac still had a special place in his heart, he wanted all others dead and **their riders to die alongside their miserable beasts**!_

Tamli was trembling now, Finca realized as his tone turned hostile. He could have experienced bad things in the past, but why just bring them up now when they had a monster to fight and a daughter to raise?

_Amia did hate our kind but only because of the dangers that befell Nor'ac during their youth. The white-scaled red-eyed dragon ran into constant trouble and often fought wih others to the point of death_, Finca growled as she laid down beside her mate, wtaching him carefully for fear of an emotional outburst.

Tamli's claws dug sharply into the dirt, his eyes going out of focus. Finca glanced away, realizing the past events he must have hidden deep within his mind were now sneaking up on him and tormenting his very soul. How many had he killed over the years? She had never asked but the question seemed needed with how he was acting.

_Tamli, show me what you've seen. I can handle it and I can help you move past the horrible events which bind you tighter than a thousand oaths._

Slowly, he leaned in to nuzzle her, opening his mind as he did so. She wanted to risk her sanity for him, it was a nice gesture but he doubted she would admit that she was scared to know what plagued his heart and mind.

With a growl of sorrow, Tamli merged their thoughts and revealed his secrets to her . . .


	25. Striving for Decision

**Chapter 25-Striving for Decision**

The volley of tests through which Makiar put Aurelia place a strain on Dhran's patience. They had returned to the area where Aurelia normally worked, only to use her own equipment for treating dragons to observe her. Dhran paced outside the room, clearly displaying an attitude of not wanting to know until later, or until told by Makiar.

Dhran sighed, tapping his foot as he stopped pacing. Eventually Makiar was finished and left the room to talk to him. His palms felt sweaty as Dhran led the way to a small alcove a few feet away where they could talk in private.

"Is she?" He asked, unwilling to finish his own question out of fear of what the answer might be.

_Pregnant? Yes, although it is too early to tell the gender of the child. _Makiar's yellow eyes flashed with concern. _I would like for her to discontinue her work during the remainder of her pregnancy._

Tears stung the corners of his eyes at hearing the stunning words. It would crush Aurelia to know she would not be able to work at what she loved to do the most, helping dragons recover and regain their majestic strength and power. "Why? She loves her job. It is who she is, Makiar!"

_I know but the risk is too great for an accident to happen. Losing a child is traumatic, believe me I know. I just do not want that risk to come up for you both, considering this is your first child._

Dhran let his arms fall to his side, clutching the cloth on either side of his shirt. "You cannot force her to do this. She has a choice!"

Makiar snarled. _A choice that cannot be made by her at this time. She is over a month along, Dhran. The devastation is . . . much worse when the child is young._

"Stop saying it will die." He tore his hands away from the cloth and clenched them into fists. "The danger is also great for either one of us to perish as well . . ."

_If she dies, so does her child_. Makiar paused for a second, lifting her tail from the ground. _Let us change the subject from something so morbid. Tell me, what is your idea of getting Arxa to cooperate with us?_

"Use Tamli's new ability. He can shape-shift into Sitedal and copy the dragon's powers to find both Jormundur and Arxa."

_You are suggesting they are in another time period then?_

"That was not what I meant. Unless, you think Sitedal has some ability that is unknown to us which justifies your idea."

Makiar snorted. _Exactly my point._

"How do you . . . No. Are you certain this secret ability of his exists?" Dhran fidgeted, tapping the tip of his foot on the floor in impatience.

_Call it an informed guess. I know more than just what I speak of, Airu. It would do you well to accept that._

Ending with a hiss, Makiar turned and walked off, her claws clicking with every step she made. As the noise drifted further away, Dhran sighed and grumbled under his breath. He would never understand her completely, no one probably could.

_I pity her sometimes_, Finca commented as she came up beside him and sat down, laying her tail alongside her right side.

"Why?" He questioned, recognizing her voice before even looking beside him.

_She lost so much from the Flood. Her brother perished, her father and mother also were carried away by the rushing water, never to see the light of another beautiful dawn. It turned her heart bitter to humanity and to dragon-kind. _Finca glanced down at him, casting one yellow iris on the top of his head. _She's not the only one holding secrets, Airu. Tamli recently informed me of who Arxa really is._

From the shadows of a nearby column, an unfamiliar voice rang out. "And who really is Arxa? Care to inform me?"

* * *

><p>Jormundur spat at the dirt under his claws before lifting his eyes to the sky. Narssia was supposed to meet him at the very spot he was in over an hour ago. What was keeping her? He snarled softly and swept his gaze around. Green grass, a small brook flowing nearby, mountains in the distance; everything was as it should be from what she had told him.<p>

If Narssia-of-the-past had not tried the near-kill attempt, they would still be living with the only dragons he knew during their current time frame. Unfortunately, old rivalries seemed to die hard or, rather, grow stronger in different areas in time. He wanted, after hearing both black she-dragons talk of her rider, to go back through more years and meet this individual. Jormundur had a feeling this would not go well with his mother though and decided to keep quiet on the subject for a while longer. He wasn't certain on the length of time he could hide this from her but little mattered now.

From the distance, a grey dragon came toward him, its form easily recognizable as his own. Why had his past self come? Did this mean further danger for Narssia? A low growl rose into his throat as the hatchling landed and tucked its wings protectively against its side.

_Jormundur_. It felt odd to say his own name to another dragon, particularly when the other dragon was the younger version of himself. _What news do you bring from the high winds?_

The high winds, a clever cover for them to distinguish between the two black females. His mother's past version was respectively known as the name mentioned, while Narssia remained Axra -although Jormundur loathed the idea with a passion, but said nothing about its meaning to the younger dragon out of respect.

_Not much. Arxa was speaking with Father when I departed. I assume she has forgotten your plans once more . . . _

_As do I_, Jormundur snorted before parting his jaws slightly. A ripple of wind burst forth and both dragons growled softly.

_Could you . . . teach me? You tried to last time but . . . _

_I recall what occurred last time. _Another growl escaped him as he closed his maw and lowered his gaze to the grass, breaking eye contact, _With the eve of the Great Darkness upon us, I reached deep within to unlock my skills. Traveling through time as I did I-_

The thought ended abruptly as Jormundur realized his mistake. He had never mentioned the skill during their time with the ones-of-the-past and now his only secret had slipped. He slowly brought his focus upward, regret shining clear in his irises.

_Time travel. That's how you and her made it here. It makes perfect sense. Ryta has been saying that for days but I figured she was just in shock from the fight. _His younger self cast a weary glance at his own foreclaws. _It's the skill Arxa could never get, right?_

Jormundur tensed up, lifting his wings partly from his back. Had not the words most dreaded now slipped from the thoughts of younger-him? _Arxa? What do you-_

_Most, if not all of what Mother knows came from Arxa. All we can figure out is that it's some dark spirit or something. Why? Is there more?_

The greyling watched the eyes of Jormundur as he sat down and allowed his wings to spread out completely beside him. _You don't know the truth. A truth I've kept for years since we came. _He swallowed. _You are not going to like this._


	26. Return

**Chapter 26-Return**

Finca snarled softly as a cloaked figure revealed itself from within the shadows. Its form was human at least but the voice pricked at her nerves. Tamli's memories still ran through her mind, plaguing her with stray thoughts of killing innocent humans or watching a dragon burn to death from the sheer force of her mate's aura. He had been right about the scenes being hard to handle, she would give him that, but she had done far worse in her life than he could ever hope to pull off in a span of ten-thousands years.

"Who are you?" Dhran asked as she felt a tremor of fear quickly flash through his thoughts.

The figure did not answer but instead lifted a robed hand and curled each finger until only the index finger remained pointed out at them. Panic rushed through her as Finca recalled one of Tamli's more violent images . . .

**Amia had forced him to take control and burn several humans with just his aura alone. Tamli had no choice in the manner, allowing his very might to course through him. He raised a hand and curled each finger until only the index was left pointing at the targets. He mouthed 'I'm sorry' before a rush of white super-heated energy blasted from him and fried each of the innocent people.**

"Finca?" Dhran questioned, glancing at her as she realized she was trembling out of fear. "Are you alright?"

_Alright? _She wanted to turn around and run for her life! Never had she felt so afraid. Now Tamli's warning about his memories made sense. They would haunt her forever because of not only his actions but how innocents had died. Like those helpless people, was she about to be fried from a gust of aura? Could this mysterious figure even use aura? What about Corruption? It was still a major threat even with no signs of Arxa for quite some time.

"Do not move."

Finca immediately picked up on the new voice as that of Tamli. He had shape-shifted back into his human forme and had come to rescue her. Dhran tensed and reached toward his left hip . . .

_NO! _A soundless shriek rippled from her jaws as Tamli lunged forward from behind her and Dhran drew a diamond-encrusted sword with an amethyst stone resting in the pommel from his left hip.

The cloaked person barely had time to think before Tamli tackled him, knocking them both to the ground. Finca caught a glimpse of a single purple eye but could not tell whether it belonged to her mate or not. A bone-crushing kick managed to knock Tamli backwards and he landed heavily on his side, a faint moan escaping him.

Tearing the black cloak loose from where it connected to his shoulders, the individual threw it down on the ground and stood up. Brushing dirt from his clothes, Finca recognized the familiar shape of the face and color of the hair. Somehow Amia had found them!

_How? _She growled in shock. _You never left after we took you off to where you wished following the death of your dragon . . ._

She halted, staring at his eyes. One had turned a bright shade of red while the other kept its normal purple color. **Nor'ac**, she thought instantly. No other dragon that she knew for so long had red eyes, well one red eye. The other she had ripped out herself after he had come following her laying the eggs that would become Verdra and the one she gave to Rados and Roylzen.

"That pesky she-dragon chased me here. I never thought I'd loose that mongrel!" Amia snapped, shifting his gaze to Dhran. "You're the one they call special, huh? My sister died for your life, remember that!"

_Is he always so . . . grumpy? _Dhran asked mentally to Finca.

She held back a snort of enjoyment. _Always. He talks tough but there is a tender-heart somewhere in him. I've never found that tenderness but his dragon knew it prior to its death._

"You," Amia growled as he stared at Tamli. "Why come back? You have nothing here to life for anymore!" A sudden bone snapping caused Finca and Dhran to flinch out of reaction.

"I might . . . have something worth fighting to save," Tamli whispered as he pushed himself up with his right hand, his left arm hanging uselessly by his side.

Amia scowled, eyes intensifying with rage toward Tamli. "Prove it."

With no hand motion from Amia, Tamli was picked up and flung against the wall behind him with telekinetic force strong enough to break bones. Finca growled in worry, knowing full well the might of Amia's telekinesis and his stubbornness. However much she might want to rush to her mate's aid, this would be his fight.

_Dhran, go and check on Aurelia. We will leave these two to battle against each other_, she growled softly, nudging him with the tip of her snout.

The young human turned and walked back toward the room where Aurelia was with Finca right behind him. Tamli would fight for them and prove his spirit still had strength. Amia was still blind sighted from losing Nor'ac; the dragon's death having causing a ripple-effect in its bonded partner's emotional state.

* * *

><p>Amia smirked once the white dragoness and the young Nekita male were out of the room. He wanted this to be between Tamli and him only with no outsiders trying to stop what would occur in the name of his deceased dragon. Tamli grimaced as Amia finally stuck out a hand and tilted it palm-up, moving it slightly upwards as he did so which caused his held captive to creep up the wall only about an inch.<p>

"So it begins," Amia murmured, tilting his head ever so slightly to further see Tamli's pained expressions. "Tell me, how do you feel knowing your death will come in agonizing slowness? Every muscle twisting and writhing in misery until they snap like twigs. Your bones becoming brittle and cracking into millions of tiny pieces. Nerves cut off from their electrical pulses and gradually fading into nothingness, all the while screaming with agony." A brief smile lit up the unnaturally rugged features of his face. "Payback."

"Nor'ac dying was not my fault-"

Amia chuckled. "Of course not! You only lie to yourself and direct the blame away from its true source. If it had not been for you, he would still be alive." Each word fell with a footstep and Amia stopped right before his victim, raising his hand and cupping it around Tamli's jaw.

Tamli squirmed and tried to move away as Amia gazed deep into his eyes. A sense of foreboding passed over the shape-shifter and he tried even harder to escape from the mental bonds. Amia laughed faintly and, for a brief moment, his eyes lightened some. The rich hues of purple intermixed with strains of loneliness and depression. Then, in no sooner than a few seconds, the darker layers of rage and guilt clouded over the inner feelings of a person who had been dealt a powerful blow in the death of his dragon.

"Prepare to-"

"Wait, just a moment." Tamli forced a slight smile. "What if I told you I could go back and save your dragon from his death? Would that remove the heavy price on my head?"

Amia narrowed his eyes. "You lie. There is no way to bend the fabric of space and time itself. Mirage would have prevented his own death if such were possible."

"He would not. My father chose to usher in the age of Arxa because of the conception of a dragon yet to see the light of day. It is that dragon who is our savior, our only weapon against the might of a beast so strongly fueled by malice and dark magic," Tamli interjected with a sigh, recalling the many conversations he had with Mirage during the six years following his bodily death.

"You mean this dragon is not yet in the world?" A slight curiosity crept into Amia's voice and Tamli silently cheered over this small success in order to buy him time.

"Exactly."

A scowl slowly darkened the face of Amia. "So you suggest to me that you are-"

"Precopathic? Yes, it means just that."

"What does it mean for the future?" Amia asked as he took a step back, dropping his hand from Tamli's jaw.

"She dies."

Minutes passed before either spoke again, exchanging a flurry of mental thoughts between each other that they knew Finca would never be able to untangle -as she had been listening in all this time. Finally Amia sighed and let Tamli free from the mental hold before turning around to leave the room.

"Wait just a minute, Amia. Can I show you something?"

The question stunned the grief-hardened man for a moment. How dare Tamli ask those very words. Nor'ac had said the same thing nearly a day before his own death. He should rip out a bone or something to prevent Tamli from continuing on this mad idea of a divergence just to see the reaction.

"Do what you will. I have no control over your actions."

Tamli massaged his limp arm, wishing he could just let himself heal the wound. He needed to give off an injured look for just a while longer. With sure steps, he caught up to Amia and laid his "good" hand on the man's shoulder.

"As you wish," he muttered as a torrent of light from deep within him enfolded them both, much to the dismay of Finca who blasted the nearest object she could find into rubble.


	27. Wounds of the Past

**Chapter 27-Wounds of the Past**

_Sitedal? _Verdra whispered, stirring him from the confines of sleep as they lay beside each other.

An entire day had passed since they had reconnected, choosing to sleep outside under the stars. He had assured her that Arxa's presence could not be felt before she surrendered to sleep, worry causing her much panic and unrest. With a snort, the black dragon lifted his head from where it lay next to hers and stood to stretch.

_Morning, Verda_, he hummed cheerfully as each stretched to prevent muscle cramps and to stir the blood into motion. _Any word from the under-dwellers?_

_Not that I know. Finca rambled on about something concering my father earlier but nothing of extreme interest. _A brief flicker of worry flashed through her eyes, enough to bother Sitedal as both turned to face the other.

Sitedal snorted again and lazily flicked out his twin-pointed tongue, a feature that had been passed down through generations of his ancestors. A gentle breeze stirred his mind far from any thoughts of Arxa or his mother, instead focusing on the image of Verdra before him. Her velvet ivory horns shimmered with almost crystals of light as a single ray of sunshine descended over her, causing her blackened scales to become twisting vapors of darkness. Instantly he blinked, forcing himself away from any comparison he might have concerning his mother and Verdra. She was far greater in stature and kindness than his lying power-seeker parent could ever be.

_Ready for hunting? _A slight upturn of his edges of Sitedal's jaws signaled a hidden sense of playfulness and Verdra sighed before giving a growl of agreement.

Both unfolded their wings and a rush of black leather-like membrane gave their stature an added boost. Sitedal's wings held a faint silvery sheen to the inside while Verdra had only solid black wings. A soft growl rippled from Verdra's jaws as Sitedal took the lead and lunged into the air, whirling around to pass over her.

_Coming, Black One? _Sitedal mocked, releasing a torrent of black smoke from his nostrils as Verdra narrowed her eyes before flinging herself into action and rushing toward him on silent wing-tips.

Verdra spat out a quick burst of black-tipped fire before sweeping past the father of her children. A mocking chuckle resounded deep in her chest as Sitedal seemed puzzled for a moment before lunging after her, quickly closing the distance between the two.

He spun into a circle, shadowing her frame as Verdra led the way through the air. He had dreamt of this similar situation since his years as a hatchling, just the sky before him and a mate by his side. Now he had both of those things and life could be no better even if he had tried. Arxa and Jormundur were somewhere out of mental reach -he wasn't sure where- and he could finally live his life with Verdra, a life he had imagined since the attack on her by his brother.

_Catch up or be left behind_, Verdra snarled softly, brushing her thoughts against his. Sitedal flinched in shock at the contact.

Her thoughts were so clear! It was as if there was nothing separating them from one another, no borders whatsoever, Compared to the mind of his mother . . . Sitedal snarled, reminding himself that he was not to dwell on the negative anymore. Here he was with his chosen love and yet his thoughts were on the one dragon he swore hatred and rage against.

Verdra glanced back at him, concern flickering through her warm eyes. Sitedal sighed and straightened out, hanging just at her left flank, his right wing almost touching her tail. A thought nagged at him as the wind filled him with renewed hope that things would turn around, a fear that he dare not voice to Verdra right now. How could he be a father to any of his offspring when the father figure he had known had been killed by a power-hungry monstrous parasite who had invaded the mind of his mother?

* * *

><p>Deep within the swirling mass of white aura that filled the room where once Tamli and Amia had stood, the two were at blows again. Ducking under Amia as the man reached for Tamli, the shape-shifter rammed his shoulder into the now open chest before him. Amia backed up a few steps, the blow having brought tears to his eyes, or was Tamli just imagining them?<p>

"What is it that you wanted to show me?" The guilt-driven former rider asked, wiping at the corners of his eyes.

"How we treated each other over the years," Tamli replied gently, finally allowing his dragonic healing rate to repair the damage that had been done to his arm. "This will be hard to watch . . ."

_Get out here! _Finca's voice rippled through the vast grey expanse that filled the space between them. _You cannot hide in there forever, coward!_

Amia smiled. "She's talking about you," he added after a moment of confusion from Tamli.

"I know that," Tamli snapped back, harsher than he should have. "She hates me now for showing her why I was so _hesitant _to return."

"You? Hesitant? Why Tamli, I'm impressed you would admit that to me after all we've been through."

Tamli frowned. "Save it," he growled, straightening up to fully face Amia."You of all people should be ashamed of what I did, what you had _me _do, during those years of three minds in one body. Santerous's death only proves my point that you were dealing with greater magic than you realized at the time-"

"So what?" Amia interjected with a scowl on his face, the likes of which Tamli was used to seeing from him. "You had the nerve to ask your own dragon to turn you into a dragon for crying out loud! During that time did you even stop to think about what you were getting yourself into?"

Tamli curled his hands into fists. "Never ask such a question of me," he snapped, trembling with rage.

Instead of backing down as he should have, Amia pressed the issue further. "What's wrong?" He teased. "Scared the beast inside-" he raised a hand to his head "-here is going to get out?"

The look of defeat quickly overshadowed Tamli's gaze. It was without a doubt his deepest fear. If he could kill Nira as quickly as he had, what chance did his mate or any other dragon have being near him? The very thought haunted him of his darkened form from Nira's poisonous bite -the same bite that had sealed his fate as a dragon. From that wound and the darkness that thrived from it, he knew all others would view him as a monster instead of the proud rider he had once been. Change was inevitable because of the one decision that had caused him much misery over the years following the aftermath of the 'night of terror' as he often called it.

"You would never understand my fears. Yes, I fear the trail of darkness that lurks within, but I have come to terms with it. It is a part of who I am, a fragmented piece of a fractured dragon."

" 'A fractured dragon'? Tamli, why say that? I know we have been at the razor-thin edge of rage before but to call yourself fractured, I cannot understand." Amia seemed stunned, more than Tamli had ever seen him.

A sigh escaped him. "I do not expect you to understand," Tamli whispered, locking eyes with the remaining heir of a legacy namesake. "All I ask of you is that you listen. Things may have strained between us but I . . . I have always been a monster in the eyes of those that never knew my heart. What Nira did was bound to happen eventually, I know that without a shadow of a doubt, yet his actions spiraled into a chain of events that led to the deah of your dragon and Nira himself."

"Explain further," Amia commanded, confusion seeping into his tone.

"I was never meant to be a dragon!" Tamli shouted, curling his hands tighter into fists. "My life was never supposed to begin, yet the Great Flood caused my mother to die and her spirit to seek out Mirage. That is what I mean, Amia. Because of the actions of the fractured dragoness spirit, I was born with the same aguish she held." He paused for a moment, collecting himself. "Over time, Finca gave me some peace but the aguish still remained. It was only when you and I were separating that the true reason came to me of why I felt like I did. My mother's actions had been only reflected in my own. Finca turning me, our first clutch nearly dying completely, my own death, everything had a purpose that went back to Szara."

"You mean her actions were directing your own?" Amia asked, interest overshadowing the confusion in his voice.

"Her former actions, yes, but not those since she lost her hold on Finca and finally went to the afterlife." Tamli trembled slightly, wishing for Finca's company. "I question why I came back. Why I did not just stay dead and watch life go on without me? I realize the answer now: my selfish nature. I was the one who wanted Finca to leave the cave with me to hunt, thinking the hatchlings were old enough. Know where that got us? Two innocent dragonets dead and our only son at the time terrified for his very life."

Amia sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "You never knew the truth until it happened, right?" He asked. "I mean, you thought they would be fine and instead a double murder happened while you and Finca hunted as a pair." Tears gleamed in his eyes, a sight Tamli was unfamiliar with from the hardened man. "The feeling is similar. Nor'ac nearly died in a storm during our training years because I did not have enough sense to pull out and rejoin the others. I figured he could outlast it but a bolt of lightning struck both of us from directly above. All I know is that I passed out but from what he told me later, Nor'ac reacted from seeing me fall and dove to catch me, getting struck twice more with lightning bolts . . ."

The question was unavoidable from Tamli's viewpoint. He had to ask. "Did he survive without permanent damage?"

"Not quite," Amia contradicted. "From that point on, he had a slight stiffness to him. Most never saw it but I didn't care since he saved my life. Anway, what was it about Finca that you told me while we were blocking our minds from her?"

"Not about her, about Nethial," Tamli corrected, straining to keep himself as calm as he could.

"Nethial? The one you used to date back during our younger years, that one? Why her?"

Tamli narrowed his eyes. "Because she is Arxa, or rather thinks she is. She has no memory of those years, from what Mirage told me, and sees all as enemies of her twisted goal . . ."

"Corruption's goal." A brief speck of uncertainty swept through Tamli's gaze as Amia continued, "You said hers but I know better. It corrupted her, didn't it?"

"After her death it did. I can only imagine the pain she went through." He shook his head as a burst of light streaked the grey expanse over their heads. "We should go back. Finca was not playing around with that threat, I knew it then and even more now."

Amia smirked. "Well then, lead the way," he instructed, sweeping out a hand.

Tamli felt himself tremble and briefly worried as he gathered his strength to materialize his aura. Certainly it was nothing but he still was hesitant as he forced the fury of his mind outward, allowing a ring of white mist to enfold them. Amia seemed to notice the hesitation.

"What's wrong?" He shouted over the swirl of life energy that poured from Tamli. "I can help, if need be."

A suppressed chuckle rippled from Tamli despite his best attempt to hide it. Amia wanted to help? Ha, he must truly be clueless then . . .

Pain suddenly shot up Tamli's side, causing him to stagger and grip his head. Agony ripped into him as the sounds of dying dragons echoed throughout his mind and tore at his soul. He closed his eyes and slowly lowered his hands away from his head, figuring the pain could be managed by sheer will. Amia's hand gripped his shoulder as Tamli opened his eyes, seeing tiny specks of blood on his open palms.

"Amia . . ." he moaned, squeezing his hands into fists. "Help."

"Tamli, I see nothing wrong." A pause. "Oh."

Tamli blinked as he felt off-balance, like the ground was a slope and he unable to prevent himself from sliding. He shifted his foot, only to lose his balance and land painfully on his knees. Pain flared from the impacted areas and he bit his tongue to keep from screaming. Since when had he felt such pain?

"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do but it is for the best," Amia whispered as Tamli heard the metallic scrape of a sword unsheathing before something struck him in the back of his head and he collapsed . . .


	28. Joint Partnership

**Chapter 28-Joint Partnership**

A full month passed before Sitedal was asked to join the dragons within the Compound as one of their own. He was honored and rightfully took his place by his mate's side as nearly every dragon walked past and spoke words of encouragement. It felt right for him to be respected for once in his life, a luxury he had never had before until the attack on Verdra changed him. Now he could truly be with his children and watch as they hatched to the dawn of a changing world.

* * *

><p>Several weeks after the coordination had taken place, Sitedal lay by his mate and watched their eggs with a practiced eye. She was already asleep but he felt the stirring of a feeling he had never experienced before rise within him and force him to his feet. He walked over to the four eggs and sniffed each, a realization coming from deep in his being what gender each was and how they would appear as dragonets. A brief flash of fear came over him but he dismissed it, thinking nothing about the ability he had -an ability which, if Verdra found out about it, would likely evile him from her life forever.<p>

Yes he had the skillful control that Narssia might have had but his ability was far more dangerous than any of hers could ever be. He snorted and glanced back at his other half, marveling at how she had almost been dead four months ago by the claws of his own brother. What sibling would do that to another? It made no sense but, in the same way, it spoke volumes about Jormundur.

Deciding for himself that he needed time alone, Sitedal slowly slipped out and carefully made his way up to the aboveground, the place that had been his home only until recently. He had no issue with living underground but he worried for his future children and how the darkness would affect them. Pushing the thought from his mind as he threw himself out into the cold, dark forest that concealed the entrance to the Compound, Sitedal flapped his wings and took to the air, breathing in the sweet scent of life around him. The moon was nearly covered completely by clouds but there was enough light for him to make out the leafy tree-tops.

Angling himself so that he would pass straight through without having to risk smashing into an unseen tree, Sitedal folded his wings tight against his body. The change in speed was immediate. He rocked past the trees and soon opened his wings fully to halt his quick climb as he now was beyond the range of any tree branches. Again he took in the smells and sounds of the night and screeched in enjoyment, something he had picked up from Arxa. It bothered him to think of her when he was now happily living his life but the thoughts never seemed to go away. They would always return in some form or another, something to cause him to freeze up and panic. These reactions happened more frequently now, much to his dislike, and yet it was impossible to stop them.

Shaking his head in annoyance, Sitedal snarled angrily at himself. Who was he to be spending his night hours awake when he was supposed to be sleeping beside his mate? She needed his comfort to even close her eyes now, still fearing the return of either Jormundur or Arxa. He couldn't blame her really, the idea scared him as well.

Sitedal closed his eyes as he settled into a steady rhythmical beating of his wings and searched for the tiny part of himself that he hid from most all others. He was not inclined to share his ability with anyone else, fearing the damage it might do to them. Slowly, he opened his jaws and was about to let the skills he possessed come forth when he heard the roar of a dragon. This sound quickly threw him into a panic, disrupting the calm that had been where he was no less than a few minutes ago.

His eyes flickered about wildly as he steeled himself, ready to turn and fly with all his strength if need be. A second roar came minutes later, causing Sitedal to flinch. There were two then. Two outsiders that wanted him dead. He could handle two . . .

A burst of fire suddenly rained on his back and he turned, eyes blazing with anger. HIs earlier actions had been from fright but now he was ready. The faint glow from an area inside the closest tree gace away the location of one of the dragons and Sitedal snarled viciously. From within his throat came the surge of power he had wanted to practice in secret but these troublemakers would be fine targets.

Sitedal threw his weight to his left side and spun around, readying his secret weapon as he did so. When he finished his complete spin, he angled himself so that the brunt of the force would fall upon the dragon in the tree and opened his jaws with a shriek of bone-chilling terror.

The first thing his enemy in the tree would have seen was a blast of red light from the attacking dragon before the light morphed into whatever the foe's deepest fear was. That was Sitedal's secret, his element. Fear was the most unnatural element that a dragon could have, he knew from experience. It was also why he chose to keep the others thinking he was a non-elemental dragon -although those were even more rarer than he.

Finished with the dragon in the tree for the time being, Sitedal turned and readied another blast of his element. He would strike as soon as his foe showed itself in any way.

_I'm impressed, Sitedal_, came the voice of Makiar as she breathed out a short stream of fire to let him know where she was, having been the target of his Fear Shriek. _I always thought you had an element, but I certainly didn't know it was that. _She chuckled, staring up at him form within the tree.

_You followed me? _Sitedal growled, certain she had but wanting to make sure.

_Of course not. I waited until you were floating before slipping inot the tree. You impressed me, something most dragons could never do_, she hummed, leaping from the tree and joining him in the air.

_You still followed me_, he corrected smugly.

Makiar growled softly. _Fine, I followed you_, she snarled harshly before relaxing her tone. _Now then, how long are you going to wait to tell Verdra about this. I realize she knows nothing of your element but you have to make it clear to her what you can do . . . before you turn that thing on her._

Sitedal snarled, snapping at her neck and purposely missing by inches. _NEVER! _He roared, arousing birds from the force of his anger. _I would never turn on her or the unhatched ones. Watch your tongue, Makiar._

_And you watch yours_, she hissed right back, staring straight into his eyes, as if she could see all the way to his soul.

Glaring at him, she flared her wings and soared forward, onlt to screech and dive toward the trees in a manner that almost made it seem like there was an enemy after her. Sitedal snorted, proud of himself as he watched her try to fly away from the invisible thing that chased her. He never felt comfortable using his element but watching Makiar's panic made him pleased with his work for once.

* * *

><p>Dhran found himself wide-awake as an urge stirred him from his sleep. He rolled over to snuggle against Aurelia for a moment before sliding away and getting to his feet, wishing he had asked for a warmer place for them to live until the of the child's birth. Despite the cold floor under him, he walked outside the room and started towards where Verdra's eggs remained.<p>

The walk was faster than he expected before he found himself at the entry to the room that would decide his life. Would he become a rider and follow the legacy of his parents? Sweat coated his hands as Dhran gently eased open the door and took a step inside. His gaze flickered about, searching for the eggs, trying to see through the thick veil of darkness that filled the room.

_Dhran? _The soft voice of Verdra pierced his mind, signaling that she was near and might prevent him from touching the eggs if she felt that he was unworthy. _Why have you come so early in the day? Dawn has not risen yet you come to me._

He brushed the probing thought aside and took another step forward. Those eggs called to him and he would not be denied what he came to reveal. She would not rebuke him for touching them, would she? A sharp inhale of air near his left side revealed where Verdra was and he spun to face her, a fervor of madness clearly echoing out from his very soul.

Air rushed into his mouth as Verdra's purple eyes bored straight into him. A low growl rose into the space between the two and Dhran suppressed an involuntary shutter of fear. It had not occurred to him that she mgith see this act in a different light than he, one of destruction rather than hope.

_Leave_, she hissed as he swallowed and stood straighter, ready to defend himself is the need arose.

"No."

With a roar, the dragoness sprang at him. Dhran slipped under her front claws and ran toward the eggs, sights set on the black one. Hot air scorched the wall beside him as his hands clutched around the egg and he felt the dragonet's consciousness inside enter his mind and search through all that he had been through in his life.

Finally the egg trembled and Dhran squeezed it tighter to his chest. Verdra shrieked before her tail smashed down inches from his right leg, it was clear she was upset over this. A pitiful squeak rose from inside the egg as a large chunk wobbed before breaking off, revealing two emerald green eyes surrounded by pitch-black scales. Between the eyes and what appeared to be two small curved horns, there was a patch of scales that rose above the others to form the shape of a fireball.

Dhran lightly ran a hand over the hatchling's dark grey fireball symbol and, at the same time, he touched minds with the dragonet as it finished freeing itself from the remainder of the egg. He could hear the annoyed snort of Verdra as the hatcling rubbed against his palm, emracing the newfound connection. From what he could gather, the dragonet was female and would, likewise, need a suitable name.

"_Seraphina_," he whispered, both out loud and within her mind. "This is your name now. Bear it well, little one."

_And keep your rider safe, even in the darkest of nights_, Verdra added, her earlier anger displaced in favor of rejoicing over the hatching of one of her offspring.

"You're not mad?" Dhran questioned, shielding Seraphina from her mother in case things turned for the worse.

_I was originally but realized that she chose you for your heart. _Verdra's eyes found his own, pupils shrinking slightly. _You carry a legacy of proud riders, Airu. Tronay and Neptune each were bestowed with a dragon, one of which is still alive._

The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile. She understood his plight and was familiar with the legacy he had inherited. "He found you, remember?"

_I know_, Verdra hummed, turning her gaze to her daughter. _Could you do me a favor, Dhran? Let Sitedal and I train her, along with the others._

Seraphina squeaked, strugging against Dhran's grasp. He sighed and placed her on the floor, only to watch as she stumbled over to Verdra and started chewing on the scales that she could reach. A little chuckle escaped him and the black dragoness snorted in mock amusement.

"They haven't hatched yet. Why say that you would want to . . ."

_Sitedal assured me of the hatching for the others. He will return shortly, although I cannot say I know what he was doing outside. _Verdra lifted the leg her daughter was chewing on, growling softly. _Stop that_, she hissed before nuzzling the dragonet's horns.

No sooner had she spoken than the mentioned dragon stepped into the room, nostrils flaring. His eyes bore a wild look, yet his demeanor suggested calmness. Slowly he lowered his snout and sniffed the hatchling, glaring at Dhran while doing so. Seraphina drew back as he stiffened and lifted his head back to normal height before advancing toward the human who had bonded with her.

_Sitedal_, Verdra warned, _he has done nothing wrong. Don't harm him._

The black male ignored her and halted only when he was before Dhran, smoke billowing from his nostrils. Verdra watched with fear, unsure of the action he would take, as Dhran locked eyes with the dragon that was trying to intimidate him with its size. Sitedal lifted his left foreleg and swiped, making direct contact with the face of the human he now was furious towards. How dare his daughter bond to such a lowlife!

Dhran was sent colliding with the wall behind him from the strike, the entire right side of his face feeling wet with blood. He braced himself with a hand to stand, only to be shoved to the ground by Sitedal, the dragon's ivory claws gleaming with a faint reddish tone. The black beast merely glared at him, pupils shrunken to tiny slits.

Sitedal pressed harder on the frail human's chest as the rage to use his element gripped him. It felt right, felt justified to show his might. He had nearly torn the entire right side of Dhran's face off with the slash from his claws so why not continue the torment. That weakling needed to know the true nature of their kind anyway. With a low growl, he opened his maw, allowing the faint glow of red to shine from within as he powered the blast that would end the petty conflict.

The blast struck with enough force to leave him blind, that much Dhran was sure of as he heard his own scream before white light enfolded him, leaving him wondering if he would be alive afterwards . . .

Verdra screeched in terror and threw herself forward, hoping to ram into her mate to make him end the raves of red light that blazed from his maw. As much as she had loathed Dhran for coming to claim one of the eggs, she knew Sitedal had taken things too far . . .

Seraphina immediately shrunk behind her mother, terrified for both her new partner-of-mind and the warm creature that had shown her love before the evil black-eyed terror dragon had come. She squeaked as her balance was thrown off, caused by the good dragon in front of her to move towards the bad one. It only resulted in her moving against the wall behind her and cowering in absolute fear, scared for the two who had shown her some love . . .

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that Amia had rammed the sword into him with enough force to break bones and pierce his skull, Tamli was lucky to be alive and coherent enough to recognize the sound of a man's scream. He lunged toward the mental walls he had put around himself since the attack, intending to give him time to recover and heal from the premanent damage that had been done to only a small part of his brain, with the intent to break free. The damage that had been done even he was unsure of but it failed to concern him with the urgent cry of misery that ran through his mind, filling him with dread.<p>

He felt what were claws grip his shoulder lightly and knew his body must have been trashing around in an attempt to reconnect with his mind. For all he cared the creature trying to help could leave him be and let him handle this on his own. Stubborness would prevent that, he realized with annoyance. Although he had no control over his limbs, instead focusing his mind toward his core to try and keep what he could safe from whatever damage had been done to him by way of Amia's sword, he could sense when any part of his body moved.

Slowly he extended himself to fill every part of his body, regaining control over every muscle and tendon, even those in his brain. The damage done to him dawned on him gradually. For some reason, he could not access his long-term memory, nor recall the names of any individuals he might have ever known. Even his own name escaped him, not to mention the name of the one who had dealt the damage to his mind.

Light momentarily blinded him as he opened his eyes and then shut then, reopening them a moment later. Beside him lay a white dragon . . . he thought it was a dragon at least. Two long horns curved backward over the back of its head and a triangular snout bore two small fangs that showed peeking out from under the beast's top jaw. He wondered why there would be a dragon watched him awaken. Furthermore, why said dragon would be gazing at him with the intent on communicating with him.

_Love, why has it taken this long for me to enter your thoughts?_

Tamli flinched, dropping his gaze from the beast beside him. It could get into his head! That meant . . . He shook his head. There was no way this dragon was his _love _or even knew him. Unless, it had a connection to his past, something that could help explain what was going on.

_W-who are you? _Tamli asked timidly, barely reaching outside of his consciousness to speak with the dragoness.

_What's wrong? You know me. _Finca paused, eyes narrowing. _The wound. The sword struck your brain, impacting the area where memories are kept, it makes sense._

He stiffened as she nudged him lightly, scared of the contact. Her mind felt alien enough so why was he being allowed to be put through this? Finca snorted, placing a clawed forepaw on his leg.

_Search my memories. I will not harm you, certainly you know this by now. If I had any ill intent, you would be dead already. _She drew back, observing his eyes for any sign of fear. _Peace, Tamli Dragonsbane._

The name clicked as soon as he heard it. That was him, but why did he have a last name like he did? It sounded too ancient to be his. Tamli clutched at her scaled foreleg, staring at it intently.

_You truly are sad_, she chuckled. _You want me to move it or are you going to try and use your telekinetic skills on it?_

_Stop messing with my head_, Tamli growled, lunging for her as she lifted the foreleg, realization dawning in his eyes about why she was there and why she had called him her love.

* * *

><p>With a web of fear-induced red aura around Dhran, Sitedal stopped his attack and snorted, pleased with his work. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Verdra leap towards him. He sidestepped and she slid to a stop right next to him, rage burning in her usually calm eyes.<p>

_What did you do? _She hissed, venom lacing her tone.

_My element_, he growled in response, fearing what Makiar told him for the first time since he had struck her.

_Figures. You're the opposite of your brother in temperament, yet possess a skill more deadly than he. I'm surprised Arxa never got your gift._

A low growl escaped him and he slapped his tail on the ground. _What does that mean? _He snarled, the rage that had prompted him to attack Dhran gripping him once more.

Verdra snorted in mock amusement at such a question, causing Sitedal to lift a rage-induced clawed forepaw towards her. Right now he wasn't thinking clearly at all. Otherwise, he would have stopped right then and begged forgiveness. Unfortunately he didn't and lashed out, slamming her neck to the floor under the weight of his muscular limb.

_Get off of me! _Verdra snarled, struggling against his weight as anger seethed in her eyes towards him.

He stared down at her, his eyes emotionless. It felt good to let his anger loose for once. Certainly he could have done this to Jormundur on several occasions but it wouldn't have been the proper time and place for such.

_Why would I? _He inquired, pressing down harder on her neck. _It is the legacy of my family to obey the darkness of Corruption. _

_So what you told me was wrong? You claimed that you wanted to help Ryta find a way to free Narssia. Is that true or has the darkness claimed your very mind?_

Despite himself, Sitedal snarled softly at the words. He couldn't answer that question right away. Maybe she was right . . . maybe the darkness of Corruption had found a way to enter into him and control his actions.

His gaze flickered to Seraphina, huddling in the corner with her green eyes wide with terror and fear. Something about her gaze brought a sense of what he was doing back to him. He growled and withdrew his clawed forepaw, letting the power fade from it. What was he thinking? He could have killed her! Makiar was right, he should have listened more closely.

_I'm sorry_, he whispered as he backed up and lowered his head, the darkness of their cave masking his eyes from Verdra.

_Corruption found a way to get to you. _Verdra forced herself to her feet, sorrow shining clear in her eyes. _Arxa had more of an influence than we realized . . . _

_Not Arxa_, he corrected. _Corruption, yes, but not the parasitic-mind invader that took over Narssia. Yet, she never claimed my ability because I never showed it around her. Her empathic nature makes it so she can absorb abilities that she sees working around her, not those that are hidden from her view. _

Verdra snorted, beckoning Seraphina over to her. _So that means even she doesn't even know what you can do?_

_I suspect she figures something but I'm not sure what exactly. _His gaze softened, watching his daughter slowly walk over, her gaze fearful. _I cannot say this enough but I'm sorry . . . _

_Don't. We understand_, Verdra hummed, nuzzling Seraphina as the sound of incoming footsteps signaled another's presence.

Verdra turned and sheltered the hatchling, standing beside him as Makiar entered with a fierce snarl. The ruby dragoness immediately turned its gaze to him and he momentarily let his weakness shine through from beneath his tired irises. With a low growl he reigned himself back in but wondered if Verdra had seen his accidental slip.

Sitedal straightened and faced Makiar with all the energy he had left to spend. He wanted anything other than to confront her right now. It made sense she was mad but couldn't she see that he was trying to mend the wounds he had just dealt to his family. Smoke rose from his nostrils. No, she would never understand. Her only family had been ripped from her by the Great Flood and then, years later, her own offspring and even her mate turned to the darkness. The same darkness that had made Narssia claim Raxmon's life.

_What is it? _He asked softly, lowering his head as the weight of his behavior impressed itself upon his frame.

Makiar snarled, eyes flickering with unreleased rage. Sitedal thought he saw a trace of Corruption's darkness hidden deep within her unnerving gaze. The thought sadden him to think that even the most powerful dragons could fall prey to the mind-controller that the darkness was.

_What is it? _Makiar snarled, echoing back his own words with hate-filled venom. _You nearly killed her! Nearly killed Dhran! What did you tell me earlier tonight? That you'd control yourself to prevent things like **this **from happening? Look where that got you!_

_Enough, Makiar_, Verdra snarled, surprising Sitedal by the anger that she suppressed in her words. _He is in the process of making peace with his actions. Do not attempt to say that he has no heart when he does. Where is your compassion? Or do you have any?_

Seraphina squeaked in agreement and Sitedal felt his emotions lift. His daughter was on his side, together with her mother. They believed in him, trusted in him. How could he deny that level of connection? Verdra took a step forward, leaving the hatchling by his side.

_Leave_, she hissed. _Leave and let us reconnect in peace. _

Sitedal flinched upon hearing the venomous tone that her voice had dropped into. He wasn't sure what to make of the way he now heard her. His sweet mate had the nature of her father and mother combined, he knew that much. It still bothered him though to detect so much anger in her normally soft voice.

_Fine_, Makiar snarled, turning around to leave. _I'll take Dhran to get medical attention since neither of you realize that he could bleed to death from the wounds that were so maliciously inflicted on him. _

After collecting the injured and unconscious man, taking care to avoid making direct contact with his many wounds, Makiar snarled at them and then left. Sitedal repressed a shutter as her ruby tail left the room, reminding himself that he had dealt those wounds to Dhran. The man was just only now a rider and yet he could die if his injuries were not taken care of in a timely manner.

His gaze dropped to the floor as Verdra relaxed and snorted softly. How could he have gone so far from himself to do what he had done? Dhran had been stricken by the very skill he kept secret, there was no telling what might come of that. Tremors racked his body, small at first but growing swiftly, until his entire frame shook with aguish.

_How could I do that? _He snarled bitterly at himself. _I just tore into him like he had outlived his usefulness and I . . . Why? _Roars spilt the air, each reflecting off the walls and bouncing around until the entire chamber echoed with his heart's cry.


	29. Shadows Lengthen

**Chapter 29-Shadows Lengthen**

Tamli and Finca were both brought back to attention once Makiar entered and laid Dhran down on a table next to him. The man had a swirling red aura around him and blood coated most of the right side of his face, masking any other facial features that might distinguish him. Slowly the white dragoness drew back her head as Tamli continued to gaze at the torn male beside him, trying to remember anything about the person next to him.

_What happened? _Finca asked as her eyes flickered to Makiar, the ruby dragoness snarling harshly and searching for something to help stop the bleeding.

_An insane dragon and a burst of Fear Shriek happened_, the aggravated female hissed as she found a large ball of thick cloth and levitated it in the air.

"Fear Shriek? As in the element of fear?" Tamli inquired as he watched her unwrap the cloth in mid-air and then halt the process to glare at him.

_Exactly, you . . . _She paused, eyes narrowing. _Oh. Amia finally accomplished what no other creature could do to you, huh?_

Tamli blinked, trying to remember what Makiar might mean as she tore the fabric and began to bind it around the entire right side of Dhran's face. Everything from midway across his nose over was fitted with the flexible material, with some staining immediately with a dull copper color. The ruby female snarled angrily and started on a second coat, working more frantically to stop the new rider from bleeding to death.

It took Finca's snout brushing against his arm to cause Tamli to come back to where he was and he glanced at her, pleading for help through his gaze. "I suppose. You said a dragon did this to him? What dragon?"

_Sitedal. That newcomer thinks he can just walk in here and have a place by that mate of his. Respect has to be earned, not wasted like he nearly tried to do tonight. Stupid fear-breathing mongrel . . ._

Finca hummed softly, nudging him again. _Go if you want. I'll watch him . . . and Makiar. _

_Makiar? That's the red dragon's name?_

_Yes. _Smoke rose from her nostrils as he rose and placed a hand on her snout before she could nudge him a third time.

He patted it gently before slipping out of the room, intent on finding the dragon Makiar had called Sitedal. From what he could gather, the dragon was a user of the fear element, the rarest kind out there. Also, the fear-user had a mate, possibly offspring. Those aspects could be used to speed up the search some.

Breaking into a run down corridors he had once traveled with a full memory, Tamli lightly trailed a hand over the delicate flower carvings on the wall. They were so beautiful yet he knew they couldn't be dragon-made. What had formed the multitudes of wood shapes he saw?

**"_You should know better, son of the twisted spirit Szara_."**

He slid to a stop. Who had said that? Was it in his mind? He glanced around, seeing nothing other than the carvings and the twin-material floor. A sense of imprisonment enclosed him and Tamli frantically searched for the nearest off-shoot that could provide him some relief.

The nearest entryway gave him little peace as he spotted it and broke back out into a full run. Passing under the smoothed archway that led inside it, he briefly looked around. Up ahead was a figure clothed in shadow, a hood pulled up over its face. A single red eye and a purple eye focused their gaze on him as Tamli stopped and examined the dept of the irises that loomed before him.

"You came." Surprise mingled with a touch of disgust in the voice of the individual as it took a step towards him. "Pity you have no memory. Last time we met you muttered something about going back in time and saving my dragon from his slow, agonizing death. I see now I'll just have to inflict pain on you until you remember what you promised me."

**'_Oath breaker, traitor, murderer!_" **The voice of Finca from his past screamed throughout his mind, loud enough that it made his head hurt. Was it a warning to be cautious?

"What did I promise you?" Tamli asked, shrugging off the warning from Finca that had suddenly rattled him. Things would be fine, he could seek her out if something went wrong.

"The return of my dragon in exchange for . . . one of the eggs of the clutch that Sitedal and his mate laid."

Something about the words drew Tamli back to the warning but he shook his head. He was over thinking a little thing that meant nothing. If that was all the individual wanted then he could get it for him, at least the dragon egg part. He wasn't sure if he could even travel through time, far less locate a single point in the time stream and return there.

"No."

The mismatched eyes narrowed as a thick vapor slowly filled the corridor. "_No_? You dare to tell me no!"

Tamli threw up his hands to cover his face as the shadowed figured drew a sword, the pummel of which bore a red gemstone and threw it with the intent to strike a major organ. Somehow the sword missed and was redirected up towards Tamli's face, slashing from above his left eyebrow down diagonally across the nose to stop at his chin. The warmth on his face drew his attention and he tried to swallow the rising panic that filled him.

A harsh scream filled the air, unknown to Tamli whether it was his or not and the cloaked man reached out with a hand towards him. Pressure built around his neck as he was lifted from the ground and the sword returned to the shadowed attacker. He was going to die. Finca wouldn't be able to reach him in time to save him. There would be no chance to rediscover who he was.

The pressure on his throat suddenly vanished and the ground felt solid under him after what had transpired. His mystery assailant turned its back on him and Tamli gingerly placed a hand on his neck, marveling at how close to death he had come. Why had he been let go? Was there another motive besides that method of demise being too quick?

"Come." The word was sharp, filled with anger and bitterness.

There was nowhere to go anyway. Where else would he run to if he didn't follow this offer? Blood dripped into his left eye as he lowered his hands and took a step forward. Finca would forgive him for this, he hoped.

* * *

><p>The mystery man led him to an old run-down building. Ash fell around it and the scent of buried bodies filled the air, enough to make him gag. Where was this place? How had his attacker known about whatever this dismal location had once held?<p>

"Enter."

The word was powerful in the commanding tone the shadowed male used to speak. Tamli swallowed and pushed on the rusted blackened door that was the only entrance in sight. He cringed as it fell backwards and smashed into the ground, letting light into a blackened room. Scorch marks lined the walls and two skeletons of what he could guess were dragons rested against one of the more damaged parts of the initial structure.

Terror filled his thoughts as he stepped past the door and stared at the corpuses, trying to imagine what they might have been like as fully grown dragons. The cloaked man swept past him, motioning to another chamber that connected to the current one by a knocked out chuck of the wall whose corner preserved the skeletal remains of the two beasts.

With his head swimming with thoughts, Tamli tried to control the rising bile that slowly traveled up his throat. He placed a hand on the wall closest to him and hung his head, waiting for the feeling to pass. The nausea nearly drove him to his knees and he closed his eyes, lifting his other hand to rest it against the fire-blasted wall. He wouldn't be sick, he could manage this . . .

He heaved, shaking as the effort seemed to take all the strength out of him. The sound of cloth rustling behind him reminded Tamli he wasn't alone but the lack of energy and sickening thought that he wouldn't have the strength to go on made him stay where he was. A few minutes wouldn't make a big difference when he now had no time-table.

"Tamli," the man sighed. "I know this is all very overwhelming but we need to keep moving. You want answers, right? Well then, get yourself together and let's continue."

The way his name had been spoken, Tamli realized that the person he was traveling with knew him at least somewhat. Tone and emotions aside, it was the same way Finca had said his name. With that knowledge it made it a little easier to push himself away from the wall and wipe at his mouth. He was known by the individual he was with, it was a start to finding out more about what had been taken from him.

His attacker cast a wary glance at him but he shrugged it off and headed toward the next chamber, taking special care not to look at the skeletons on the way out. The new room was also blast-marked and blackened but had a long corridor stretching off of it. Dried blood residue lined the floor, collecting together in piles of dark red stains. It unnerved him but Tamli made sure to not get focused on it like with the skeletons. Nothing good would come of him getting sick again.

"How do you know my name?" Tamli asked as the darkness concealed his aggressor from view.

"What makes you think I know anything else besides your name?" Tamli dared to not speak, wanting to see what the man would say. Finally a sigh came from the man. "All right. I know more about you than I wanted to let on but for time's sake I'm only going to tell you this: yes, I know you. Besides, the name's Amia and we should follow the corridor until it ends, then take a left to enter the cell nearest the end of the hall."

A brief smile lit Tamli's face as he made a note of the achievement to get Amia to say something beyond just instructions. He immediately entered the corridor and stopped in horror. Cages lined each side with at least one skeleton in each. Some had two bodies but the small rooms were littered with debris and, what terrified him the most, dozens of tiny scales. They came in all colors but the fact that they rested on the floor confirmed his fears that this place might have been a facility where dragons had come to be treated harshly until their deaths.

**. . . A brown dragoness stabbing a sharp needle past his protective coating and releasing the purple contents in the tube that connected to the razor thin weapon . . .**

A hand on his shoulder broke Tamli from the vision and he jerked away angrily, whirling around to find that it was only Amia who had shook him from the disturbing images. He wasn't a dragon, that part made no sense. Every figure on him gave proof that his body was human and, therefore, not the scaled hide that he had seen in the odd dream.

"This . . . place is a nightmare. Was it used to house . . . dragons?"

Amia nodded, face still masked by the cloak hood. "Indeed it was. You stayed here for a time, certainly your memories show you that much."

He knew then. Amia knew that these visions were happening. Why hadn't he said anything before about this? Tamli shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts. The end of the hall then and the last cell on the left.

Footsteps padded softly behind him as he walked causing Tamli to occasionally remind himself that it was only Amia. Yet something troubled him as he passed the endless holds where innocent scaled beasts had come to die. If the one who had brought him here knew so much about him then why even lead him through the dismal place anyway instead of just revealing everything by talking? It made no sense to him the more he thought on the subject. Either secrets were being kept or there was something that Amia wanted him to see with his own eyes.

The last cell was empty but as he entered it, Tamli heard the audible scrape of metal against its sheath and was about to spin around when a sharp pain seared from his left leg, right around the knee. Without looking around the room right away, he took a step forward, only to stumble and fall to his knees and hands as his new injury flared angrily at the movement.

A low moan escaped him and Tamli heard Amia chuckle quietly as if he was enjoying the scene that was being played out before them. The wound pulsed softly in fresh waves of pain as he glanced back at the man, stood with caution as he was afraid to put weight on the new injury, and quickly scanned the room for an item to use as either a shield or as a weapon. His eyes fell on the only object in the room: a metal slab that was held to the ground by two thick bolts, locking it in place.

He tried to run for it, mostly dragging his weakened leg behind him, and finally slid under the smooth surface as he heard Amia walk over to get the sword. With a hand on the table, Tamli set about breaking the bolts off so that he could throw the slab to the ground as a shield against the metal that had already dealt him savage blows. Blood slowly dripped into his vision, less than before but still annoying, and he wiped it away angrily. He had to get this to work, it was his only hope.

**. . . A sweet human girl glancing at him as a putrid smell assaulted his nostrils. She watched as he retched, spitting up his own blood in place of any food. It was his third session of the day already and the sheer force of his stomach sending up any of its contents weakened him each time he found himself crippled by the . . . .**

The sound of metal striking granite snapped Tamli from his vision, revealing to him that he had retched again and his own clothes were now covered in the horrid smelling stuff. His leg wound was throbbing more with pain than it was before but he silenced the thought of the sword having sliced open anything else on his body. He suppressed a gag and returned to work on loosening the bolts, ignoring the putrid scent that came from his once clean outfit. Amia laughed softly, mercilessly as his struggling grew more frantic and again the noise of steel against stone ringed through his ears.

"Try as you might there is no escape. Just surrender Tamli and save us both this unnecessary pointless struggling. Every object you touch bares its memories to you of its past and your place in it."

Amia was right in some aspects. The objects that Tamli had touched were the cause of his visions. How could he have such a skill? It made no sense but, then again, nothing made sense anymore. He tugged harder at the bolt before him, leaving the other until after he was done working with one.

"Why give up?" Tamli panted, stopping to wipe blood and sweat from his eyes. "These objects that I touch give me hope, Amia. Something you could never dream of!"

With a scream from Tamli, the first bolt broke free, causing the slab to wobble unsteadily on its remaining attachment to the floor. He slid over to work on the other one, having to painfully drag his leg behind him now, but just as his hand touched the second obstacle that lay in his path, he was thrown backwards by a sudden telekinetic burst. His head and back slammed into the wall as pain shot up his right shoulder, causing black dots to dance before his eyes.

His attacker was coming after him and here he was dazed and left without anything to defend himself with. Amia closed in as Tamli tried to lift himself up but fell back onto the floor, nearly panicking when he saw a pool of blood under his right arm. That explained the pain from his shoulder then.

"Go ahead and kill me," he spat as Amia stopped just feet from him, ruby-jewel pommeled sword in hand. "What difference would it make? I'm already dead to you anyway . . ."

Amia rose his right hand and Tamli felt the constriction around his throat return greater than it had been when he had been able to call for Finca's help. The hand lifted higher and he was dragged off the floor until the power of his aggressor's mind was the only thing that kept him off the ground. He tried to feebly kick at the man but a single flick of the hand that held him helpless threw him into the wall beside him.

Dazed and barely conscious from the force of the throw, Tamli felt himself grabbed again by the invisible force before he could fall, lifted higher, and more pressure came around his throat. He had angered Amia, had brought this upon himself. There was no other person to blame, let alone save him. Finca nor the others had he told where they were going and now he regretted it.

"_Stop_."

The voice, both telepathic and spoken verbally, gave Tamli hope. Amia growled and turned around, tightening his grip on the sword in his left hand. Behind the one who was trying to kill him a black specter stood. Piercing red eyes dominated its appearance but its demeanor was gentler than the blackened coloration which suggested rage and anger.

Its form rippled and appeared to be in the shape of a dragon, another sign that brightened Tamli's outlook that this might be the creature who would save him. A single step towards him did it take and Amia let him go, sending him flying up into the ceiling instead of against another wall. The initial impact knocked the wind from him but when he fell back down did the true meaning behind the reason for a upward throw strike him. A quick and painful death for him but with less chance of it turning into a bloody scene.

Somehow he managed to force himself into a spin on the downward return and landed heavily on his injured right shoulder. He rolled once more before coming to a full stop, laying on his back. Tears sprung to his eyes but Tamli ignored it and strained to watch the fighting as Amia began losing ground against the specter.

"_You stand no chance_." It taunted, striking out with a wave of blueish light that was collected by Amia's sword. "_Warriors do not give up when the odds are against them, they fight on. Only cowards turn their backs and run. Which shall it be?_"

"You don't scare me, you monster," Amia growled, slashing madly at it, his blade passing through without causing any damage. "You were created to be MY personal guard, not defend the original who I got your genetic material from!"

Tamli blinked, head pounding. Had he heard that right? Was the specter Amia was fighting a clone of him? How had he even been cloned in the first place? He rolled over and started to slide on his belly to the closet wall to use as a post to stand.

The clone jumped and its form shrank, becoming more like his own in a manner of seconds. Amia ducked under and brought his blade up, matching the burst of energy that was sent from the specter. The resulting explosion rained debris around him and Tamli spotted a good sized rock he could use to help get him over to where he would be out of harm's way. He clutched the piece of rubble and pulled himself with all his strength, using his good arm to drag his weakened body forward and closer to the wall.

Air rushed past him and Tamli readied himself to roll away, but stopped as he saw the clone of himself inches from his side. _Fear not_, it whispered softly in his mind, _I will get you out alive. Amia knows not the secrets of this place, while I do._ _Stay here for a moment longer and then I will be done._

With that the copy of him turned and lifted a hand, aiming its palm at Amia. A spark of white light flickered to life and quickly grew, aided by the misguided blasts of blue lightning that tore themselves from the blade of their foe. Soon a swirling vortex of light blue energy rested in the hand of the specter and he let it loose with a roar of rage. Tamli closed his eyes as Amia's scream pierced his ears, the very thought of seeing the man burn terrifying him.

"Open your eyes. The danger has passed."

The voice of his clone reflected his own if not only slightly deeper, yet it was enough to make him trust the words and open his eyes. A pile of smoking ashes lay where Amia had stood moments before and Tamli fought back against the urge to retch. His gaze found that of his clone's, mirror images looking at each other despite the hardness he saw in the eyes of the one who had saved his life. Black hair rippled down from the back of the man's scalp before him, his eyes still the same red shade they had been during the fight.

"Thank you," Tamli managed to croak out, surprised by how weak his voice sounded. He knew he was exhausted but to know that his voice reflected that caused him to understand further why Amia wanted to end his life here.

"He wanted you to die where he created the first clone. A life for a life. Now that plan will never come to completion thanks to you."

Tamli blinked, hesitant as his clone knelt by his side. "Why thanks to me? You burned him to ash so why me?"

"You are the catalyst for the others. I was always watching from the moment you two stepped in here. While you have rediscovered some aspects of clairvoyance by yourself today, it was I who was providing you with so many visions." The copy of him sighed. "Your genetic material may have formed us but we each took up our own path, guided by the actions you had made."

"How many were created?"

"Over fifty. Amia and the dragoness Misery worked side by side on this. They thought they could create a clone army to counter the dragons by using one that was well known as a way to confuse the opposition."

His shoulder burned as Tamli reached up towards it only to stop himself with the thought that Amia had worked with another to do this awful project. When had he realized it wasn't going to work? Or had the thought ever crossed his maddened mind in a sensible fashion?

"He knew the project wasn't successful with his first batch. They went mad after only days. I said more than fifty but only ten of us remain now yet I fear some of those are doomed to become subjected to what crippled so many of the others . . ."

"And that is?" Tamli was interested now. There were only ten left from a starting point of fifty plus. He had to ask what had drove them all mad.

"Finca. Furthermore, your deep love for her. They simply couldn't escape the pull of emotions that had been inherited from you."

The words stunned him. It couldn't be, could it? They had all fallen for the dragoness that had been his love. So she was telling the truth when he first awoke and she called him her love. Why hadn't he seen it then that they were together? His gaze fell to the floor then to his wounded shoulder. There was no way he could stand without putting some pressure on it and he didn't want to cause further damage to whatever muscles were left from the harsh blow that had nearly caused him to fall unconscious and lose his life. Also, he had to consider his leg and whatever damage had been done to it from Amia's attack.

His clone sighed and reached for him, picking him up like it was the easiest thing in the world. The suddenness of the grab surprised him but Tamli allowed it, finally permitting himself to see how his left leg looked as they started to walk away from the scene of carnage and destruction. Streams of blood trickled down it from right at the kneecap and he fearfully flickered his gaze over to check his shoulder. All he saw was blood and more blood. There was no bone, nor could he move it. Panic shot through him and his copy slowed to a stop.

"Keep walking," he hissed between clenched teeth as his clone started to walk once more, eyes fixated on the bloody red area that should have taken his life from him during the fight.

Why wasn't he dead then? The wound itself was grave enough to have sucked the life from his body yet something had prevented that from happening. He wanted to know what and why. Thankful he was for the saving, but the nagging question of his survival plagued him as he was carried back the way he had come.

Tamli felt his body shift several times during the walk until they had returned to the room where he had first entered and first retched while in the awful place. His clone gently laid him down against a wall and from the darkness other pairs of eyes watched him hungrily. It unnerved him to be the subject of so many people when he had nothing to defend himself with should they choose to fight him.

"I cannot carry you any farther but I can dress your wounds, if you like." The clone that had carried him here commented as he kneeled and placed a hand on Tamli's good leg.

"Sure. Can one of you contact Finca and tell her where I am? You sound so much like I do that I'm positive she wouldn't suspect a thing," Tamli requested, eyeing each clone that hid itself in the shadows.

One of the others brought the copy of him at his feet a roll of white gauze. "Ultimately we cannot," the man said as he started to wrap Tamli's shoulder tightly with enough that it wouldn't bleed through and kill him. "This is our home until the fight against Corruption's magic is waged. Fear not, we will watch you from the shadows and keep you safe when Finca isn't around."

"So much for help," Tamli muttered under his breath before wincing as the copy of him moved to working on his leg. "Could you at least . . . get me outside?"

A faint smile rose into the features of the clone at his side. "That we can do for you."

Using two others to help get him up onto his feet, the lead copy wrapped a hand around Tamli's waist. Tamli ignored the oddness of being helped by copies of himself and leaned against the bodies that kept him sturdy and made sure to not let him fall. One of the quieter clones walked up and clipped something to his belt, saying that it would do him well in the future when he would be in his greatest need before running back into the darkness.

"Can I give you some kind of nickname?" Tamli asked as the copy that supported him fully now nodded in approval.

"Sure. What were you thinking?"

The name came to him immediately as soon as he thought on the subject. It suited the person beside him and not himself. Only he wondered if the idea would be shot down before he had the chance to voice it. He hoped not and that the clone would like it.

"Dragonsbane. It separates us from one another. Two different personalities but the same identity. Is that good for you?"

"It suites me very well, Tamli. Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Dragonsbane whispered as he suddenly withdrew his arm and shoved Tamli out into the open field that surrounded the burnt building, muttering something about him being between the darkness and the light.

Grass fell into the air around him as Tamli slammed hard on the ground and glanced back at the deserted lab. It wasn't deserted anymore because of the clones and Dragonsbane. He hoped he would get to see them again and thank them for the help they gave to him.

_Oh, you will_, Dragonsbane assured him as the sound of flapping wings broke his concentration and he looked up to see the outline of a massive white dragon overshadowing his tiny frame.

The dragoness shrieked as she banked to the left, going into a half circle before she landed and her thoughts met his. Tamli held back a laugh as Finca tore through the boundaries in his mind except for one and discovered all he had witnessed and been through. He almost pitied her for the sheer amount of information that he knew she was assaulted with upon their joining minds.

_This was reckless_, Finca hissed before she reached him and poked him sharply in the stomach with her snout, _but I'm glad __you followed him and even more glad that those clones helped you. To think that someone could figure out a way to even clone you is . . ._

_Unthinkable? _Tamli suggested, laying his free hand on her snout. _I know. The thought scared me as well before one of them saved my life._

_You nicknamed him Dragonsbane? _There was a slight edge of humor to her worried tone as he felt her quickly scan the details of the past few hours. _That could have gone either way but what happened to Amia? I doubt he's dead but I'm not sure anymore. You changed my feelings on that subject, love._

Tamli withdrew his hand, flickering his gaze away from her. He was scared as well that Amia had survived but he figured Dragonsbane and the other clones could handle it on their own. Finca snorted, bringing his attention back to the one he was speaking with.

_Come. There waits a surprise for you back in the underground. _Finca paused, watching his expression as it darkened with aguish for some reason. _We will return here one day, love. I promise you that with all my being._

Tamli allowed her to grab him in her claws and take to the air, leaving her a free front taloned leg in which to fight. While her words brought him a small bit of peace, he was still concerned over Amia. Fingering his belt, remembering that one of the other clones gave him something, his hand slipped around a small vial. Immediately, he ripped the container free and gazed at the red liquid, reading the front of the bottle with baited breath:

**CAN HEAL ANYTHING**


	30. Vital Memories

**Chapter 30-Vital Memories**

Makiar's brutality assaulted Tamli's thoughts as soon as Finca let him go and then landed behind him to carry his weight, reminding him that most of his past was still a mystery other than what little he had glimpsed during the fight with Amia in the abandoned lab. He watched his dragon stiffen, snarling softly as a dark shape neared them, and felt a similar response threatening to come from him. But he controlled himself, restrained the fury that pounded in his mind to go on the offense before he was attacked.

_Follow the guiding dragon I sent_, the ruby red dragoness commanded as Finca nudged him forward, keeping her own pace behind him. _Dhran just woke up and is screaming his head off. I've tried all I can to calm him but nothing so far works. Now get down here!_

He stifled a laugh from her words but knew the pain the man must be going through. It was hard enough waking up from having a sword drove into his brain that the prospect of anything else frightened him slightly. With a faint growl from Finca, a wave of weariness passed over him and he leaned against her side, struggling to even take another step or stand on his own feet. What had Amia done to him?

_Shall I carry you, partner-of-my-heart-and-life? _Finca hummed softly, watching as he pushed away from her shoulder and fought to keep his balance.

_Not unless I fall and can't get up again_, he promised, locking eyes with her for a moment before walking after the disappearing dragon who had already entered the underground complex.

It was a difficult trip. Sweat and blood from the sword wound that Amia had given him clouded his vision and, multiple times, he felt his strength nearly give out. He wasn't giving up though, although part of him wanted to take Finca up on her offer and just ride the rest of the way down to where Makiar awaited them. Stumbling over one of the steps as they descended from a long hallway, Tamli knew his injured leg was nearing its breaking point. With a snarl, he stopped and leaned against the wall closest to him, breathing heavily and twinging as a flurry of new memories assaulted him.

**. . . Finca staring him down, fiercely defending three hatchling from him. He had betrayed her trust, naming one of the females after his dead mother who had taken her over two years prior to confront him about his destiny . . .**

**. . . Mhetra trying to lock talons around him to end the fight before both crashed to their deaths at the bottom of the cliff face that had seen two hatchlings murdered for simply existing. Instead, the dragon discovered that Tamli was more built for speed than he and threw him into the cliff wall, shattering one of his wings . . .**

**. . . His own mother trying to pin him to the floor with a controlled burst of her fear element. He ducked and returned the attack with a quick surge of light, hoping to throw her off so he could avoid more red-light shrieks that tore at his mind . . .**

_TAMLI! _Finca's roar immediately broke him from the memories and he blinked, trying to push away from the wall and stand but only falling to the ground with a scream as murderous pain radiated from his left knee and throughout the limb.

He couldn't make out the guiding dragon as black spots danced before his eyes, but he had surely heard his dragon screeching his name. With a sure sense of her direction, he reached out for her only to find that she rejected his mental presence and set up thick walls around her mind. It confused him, wondering why she would not allow him entry into her mind so they could be one and discuss what he had seen.

Then it hit him. Dhran's scream from when the attack must have taken place resounded through his mind, echoing utter terror and fear. That was why he was here! He had been given a tool for the better use of healing one that needed the medicine. It was the reason that the clone of himself had even handed him the tiny bottle of red liquid anyway.

_Sorry_, he whispered as Finca came into view, her white scales having been the only object he could see for several minutes since the memories had invaded his fragile mind._ _Memory flashes. They come so quickly I . . . __He paused, glancing up at her._ _Take this to him_._

With his only working arm, he offered her the bottle of life-saving liquid. She sniffed it for a moment before gingerly taking it in her mouth and turning to go deliver the needed help for Dhran. Tamli placed a hand on the wall behind him, biting his tongue for fear of a scream that would throw Finca off the mission he now had for her. His leg burned and now his non-existing right shoulder began to throb with steady pulses of agony.

_Go_, he hissed, shoving her snout away as she turned her head to face him._ _Get that to Dhran, then come back for me, understood?__

_Yes_, Finca answered, her tone sorrowful. She wanted to stay with him but there was another who needed more help than he did at the current moment. _I'll be back as soon as I can._

As she set off, another memory began, pushing his body to limits far past what he thought he might have ever had. He almost wished he could call her back but she needed to do this not just for him but for all the creatures living down in the underground tunnel system. If she failed . . . He didn't want to think what would happen and how the many dragons who lived here would react.

**. . . A gentle wind dancing all around him, humming softly in a language he was unfamiliar with. Slowly the words came, but, because of his newness to the system of life, he was unable to decipher them. He liked the breeze though. It felt soft against his newborn skin. He wanted more than a calm gust around him however. Where was his mother or father? His new eyes searched the area around him, finally stopping on the limp form of a teenage girl. Her greyish-white hair obscured her face but blood dripped from between her legs, a thin cord connecting him to her. The shock was too much. He was hungry and a bubbling cry rose from within him. If that was his mother than he was . . . barely alive, hardly awake in the cruel world which had claimed the life of the woman who had carried him inside for nine months . . .**

Tamli was surprised as the vision ended. Usually it wouldn't end on its own, with someone, instead, breaking the contact between the dream and reality. But this time it had faded back into the blackness of his mind, past the immovable border in his thoughts.

He also found himself with his good hand covering his mouth, holding back a choking sob that threatened to overtake him. Slowly he lowered the calloused fingers and felt . . . tears streaming down his cheeks. The memory had felt so real but was it? Had he been an orphan right after birth? His mother dying from the blood loss or was it something else? In that instant, he let his emotions loose for the first time since his awakening to find Finca beside him and he with no recollection of her, sobbing hard over all he had lost and even more over what was still hidden from his amnesia-induced mind state.

* * *

><p>Finca hurried back as soon as she could, taking a part of the ruby liquid with her to treat Tamli's wounds. He looked so miserable; his eyes had lost their bright luster and he has barely said a word during their return flight. She understood the feeling of abandonment he must be going through with no memory and then finding the clones of himself held in a place she dared never to return to again during her lifetime.<p>

He had said something about memory flashes before she departed, right? Was that what was bothering him? Something was, otherwise his mind would be as clear as day to her probing thoughts. They had spent so much time as a joined pair that she knew him as well as he had once knew himself before Amia had attacked and taken from him the one thing that plagued his very soul.

While she knew from him what had happened during his years of three-soul one-body experience with Santerous and Amia, it frightened her to her very core to have to tell him the horrid things he had done at Amia's request. It was either attack or die mentally, there had been no way out. Years had gone by like this and those memories took up a lot of his recollection, prior to the wound. Now she wondered what to say to him if he asked.

Harsh sobbing first alerted her to where he was. He had never been much for showing emotion unless it came with no warning, which she assumed this had. Yet the crying awoke a feeling in her that Finca thought had all but vanished once Amia had fused the three souls into one body: a sense of parenting. Tamli had never been a rowdy child, even in his early teen years before falling head over heels for Nethial Asburo. He had acted on guarded instinct, often asking for her advice before heading into a dangerous fight. That changed once he met Nethial. Although hardened from the rigorous training Makiar put them through, in addition to the training at the Chamber, he had grown more closed off, even to her. It had been the night before he would leave her life for over a thousand years that he finally admitted to shutting her out of his life and focusing his entire attention on his humanly love.

Finca sighed, coming to stop as she recalled his pained voice as he told her all the wrongs he had done. There was one error out of all that he had asked her counsel on, one that pained her even now to think about it. He had slept with Nethial on several nights but never had he admitted to actually making love to her, until the tell-all before his disappearance. Through his deep connection to the power of aura, his own trusted source of information to all that went on, he learned that one such love-making night had been successful in more ways than one. He had gotten Nethial pregnant, with a son no less. How he knew the gender even then, she had never known but trusted him that the information was correct. It was his last request to her, that she watch over the girl and, furthermore, watch over the boy once he was born.

Oh, she had failed at that simple task. It had been easy at first, while Nethial had still been pregnant. Telling Attor, Nethial's dragon, hadn't been easy but Finca had accomplished it. Once the child was born and she was gifted with seeing it, then things went downhill. It was a boy, as Tamli had predicted, but it bore a likeness to him that left no room for discussion. All the child had gotten from Nethial were high cheekbones, black hair, and a sour disposition, everything else came from its father. The violent purple eyes and blackened hair framed an untamable face, that much the child was during its early months. Once it began walking, Finca left, unable to cope with seeing a near copy of her own possibly dead rider every day.

She regretted it later upon finding out that Nethial had turned herself to the power of Corruption for strength. Mirage had told her through her dreams of the struggle for power and the plight of the Atlantean people once the green stones arrived, having stayed behind to keep an eye on the younger dragonets. Finca often wondered about the child. Whether it had grown up and taken a position of power as had his father or became a spokesperson for the darkness of Corruption as now Nethial had become due to the length of time since her bodily death. There was little she could change about the past anymore, it failed to concern her completely as opposed to how Amia had been until his death once Nor'ac had died. It was almost gladdening to hear that he was dead, hopefully for real.

Snorting, Finca let a quick burst of smoke escape her nostrils. Now was not the time to be in the past. Tamli needed her right now, from the sound of his sobbing. Determination swept into her gaze as she walked with all the speed she could to her lover and mate, pushing past anything that even remotely got in her way. Nothing would keep them separated any longer if she had anything to say about it.

* * *

><p>Tamli wrestled control back over himself once he felt the familiar energy of Finca coming near him. His wounds burned with pain, yet somehow he stood and managed a faint smile as her frame tore its way into the room with him. It was hard keeping his emotions buried under the layers of calmness he tried to project while he knew she could sense his thoughts and his mood swings.<p>

A low growl rippled from her and he reached up to grasp his head. Fragments of thoughts seared their way into him, imprinting dark days of seclusion and hundreds of dragons and humans alike burned by his very fingers, out of which came white hot energy that crushed the life force right out of them. It reminded him of the place Amia had brought him to in order to end his life. Dragonsbane had told him that the hardened man had planned to kill him where the first clone began its life, a thought that still sent chills through his body. He had come to the razor thin edge of death and survived, not many managed that much and lived to see another day.

_Don't move_, Finca growled as smoke rose from her nostrils. _Dhran will heal within hours due to what Makiar gave him of the bottle. I held onto a small portion for you._

Dhran's wounds paled in comparison to his own, Tamli realized as Finca halted before him and opened her jaws, breathing out hot air with the remainder of the healing medicine. Specks of red landed on his body, reminding him of blood but he ignored the thought and focused on her gaze. An unnatural warmth passed through him and the dragoness flicked her tail, obviously waiting for the liquid to work.

The sound of a bone cracking sent a spasm of pain through him, enough to finally cripple what remained of his self-will. Tamli felt his body collapse, heard his own head smack the floor with strong force before he realized what had occurred. For whatever reason, the medicine brought out a strong reaction from his body, probably due to what he had just been through with Amia hours before. Finca roared, although the sound seemed from far away, and he fought to stay linked to her thoughts. The effort was futile and he felt himself drifting away from her, away from the only thing that kept him grounded in the belief that he would get his memory back eventually . . .

* * *

><p>Makiar snorted for the third time since Finca had given Dhran some red liquid from some bottle that Tamli had gotten while he had been gone. She didn't care to ask questions so long as that human got quiet, which he had since the medicine had been injected into his bloodstream. A slow mummer rose from the unconscious human beside her and the red dragoness fought the temptation to raise her tail and slap it down next to his face. It would do her no good, other than relieve some tension from her over nothing.<p>

Finally the human quieted back down and Makiar noticed that the red aura surrounding him since she had brought him in to save his life had vanished. So there was a limit to how long Sitedal's Fear Shriek could hold an enemy in its grip, that was good to know. She planned to speak with him on it later, when she wasn't so ticked off that he had nearly killed the very two dragons he had told her he would never turn on. Loyalties were broken very easily these days since Arxa had come into power.

_Makiar! _The shriek from Finca immediately broke her concentration, causing some worry. Almost never had the white dragoness used that tone with her, except in rare cases. Either way, it would certainly quell some of her rage.

_What is it Finca?_

Finca's voice quivered, the sign that Makiar knew meant something was horribly wrong. _It's . . . Help me!_

_Where are you? I'll come if you need me . . ._

_No. Stay there. I will bring him . . . as quickly as I can_, Finca hissed, the mix of shock and worry in her tone clearly heard by the red dragon.

Her words suggested there was something wrong with Tamli. After a quick argument on the subject of going back for him, Finca had walked out, gorging deep claw marks into the sides of the walls just to show off her anger. Makiar wondered how much rage the tormented dragoness could hold inside. The amnesia of her mate and former rider certainly was an irritant, along with other things. Hopefully there would be no one around when that anger reached a breaking point and the female snapped. It wasn't pleasant to be either the victim or the one doing the damage, that much Makiar knew from experience as an empath.

Moments later, Finca entered, dragging an unconscious Tamli behind her. Rage shimmered in the white female's eyes and Makiar reminded herself of the idea to be far away when the string to sanity that Finca still had snapped. The red dragon glanced over at Tamli, surprised to find that blood covered most of his right arm, even though a temporary bandage had been put into place, the entire shoulder blade missing from its socket. There was also a deep wound to his left leg at the kneecap, despite also having cloth layered over it to lessen the blood loss, leaving the knee barely visible under the slick sticky substance.

Immediately she went to work, having Finca lay him on a table next to Dhran, taking special care around both wounds. He should be dead by the amount of blood he had lost, Makiar realized with a start as her eyes scanned his broken body. He was as much a part of her as Finca was, considering the former had been the rider of the latter, who she was mentally thrown into by older dragons that thought they were doing right. Losing him would be . . . devastating to both of them and to all the others.

_How did he react to the drug? _She asked as Finca kept her eyes on his motionless face.

_I thought well until he collapsed. It happened so suddenly I had no time to prepare or catch him. His head smacked the floor and I hate to think what that might have done to his . . ._

_Brain? I wonder as well_, Makiar added as she focused her mind on his consciousness, hoping to bring him back through mental means.

It felt odd to her to be doing such a thing for Tamli. Yet, he had been the one who had sought out her during his dying days to give Finca some peace. Makiar commendedhim for that much while other things tore away at the accomplishment. Killing Kesar had been one thing that had aggravated her. The poor dragon had only been trying to help Verdra when Tamli had come and snapped, resorting to the power of the darkness to defeat the weakened beast. No signs of the amnesic human could she locate and a low snarl escaped her restraint, providing enough of a signal for Finca.

_Makiar_, she snarled, drawing the dragoness away from trying to locate Tamli's thoughts and call him back to life._What is it? You cringe like a newborn eaglet at the first jump that will begin his mastery over the sky. Speak your mind, friend._

She relaxed, realizing the tensed state of her body. A sigh escaped her and her gaze turned to Finca. The dragoness wouldn't like the news very well she assumed. At least it was some news after what happened with Verdra and now Aurelia's pregnancy. Some information was better than none, either way one looked at things.

_I cannot locate him. Either he blocks my attempts or . . . _Makiar broke off, unwilling to say the words that might lead to her death if Finca got angry enough.

The low rippling growl that resounded from Finca confirmed those thoughts and Makiar took a step back. Fresh blood oozed out of the place where Tamli's shoulder should have been and the red dragoness turned to busy herself with wrapping it tighter so the bleeding would stop. Removing the already bloodied cloth that had held until now and then wrapping the wounds in new bandages, she paused after finishing his shoulder, levitating the same ball of cloth used to dress Dhran's wounds as she had heard nothing come from Finca since the initial outburst.

_Treat him_, Finca hissed softly after a moment had passed, the sound more like a fierce snarl. _I will be back, not before nightfall though._

_Of course_, Makiar agreed, turning so that she could see Finca, only to find that the dragoness had already left.


	31. Reclaiming the Past

**Chapter 31-Reclaiming the Past**

Fury pounded in her mind as Finca left the dark underground and threw herself into the air, finding comfort in the ever-changing winds. She was glad Tamli had mentioned Dragonsbane for now she had a place to seek the clone she had to guess, she'd assume the copy knew something about the current state her beloved was in.

Adjusting her speed, the dragoness settled in to a comfortable vapor trail. The breeze whispered of a coming storm and she hoped it wouldn't come soon, else she'd risk being caught up in it. It wasn't pleasant to know lightning could strike at any time while flying, yet that risk was present each time a creature-of-the-air entered its lofty heights.

Finca snorted, watching as smoke trailed from her nostrils. Tamli was everything to her. She had lost him once, although for six years, but now she would do anything to keep him near her for as long as her life may be. If only he hadn't fought with Amia and the stubborn grief-enhanced former rider stabbed him in the back of the head . . .

She shook her head. There was no need to think such cruel thoughts. According to her love, Amia was dead anyway because of Dragonsbane. For all she loathed the copy of Tamli, it was one bright spark out of a thousand dark-moon nights that he end the tormentor of her existence.

As the ruined lab came into view, a tremor ran down her spine. Memories of her last time at the location assaulted her and Finca wondered if she would ever get past them. It was like a never ending nightmare of being held against her will and watching Tamli succumb to the disease that ended his life, dreams of which filled her sleeping hours with too much horror for her to actually get any was still surprised she hadn't dropped from exhaustion yet, despite the circumstances that afflicted her mate.

Putting the thought from her mind for the time being, Finca flared her wings and dropped into a shallow dive, readying herself for whatever she might encounter in the ruins of a lab she thought was destroyed. She felt her element stir to life within her, providing her courage and causing a thin layer of grey smoke to wrap around her frame. It felt . . . normal for her to be protected by her own magic, a feeling she hadn't truly remembered ever having since the days of her long journey without Tamli by her deserted lab slowly appeared larger as she turned and folded her wings by her side, dropping to the ground, feet away from the miserable place.

Rage came to the forefront of her mind as she viewed the disintegratingbricks on the outside of the building and she barely held back a snarl of anger from coming out. Yes, she was furious with having to return here, but she couldn't let that anger get the better of her during the venture was for Tamli that she had come, not for any remaining burning flames of rage that invaded her mind and sought to give her another motive for returning.

Grass that should have been dead was trampled under her claws as she moved toward the location of her nightly horrors, trying to focus solely on the task before her. Making her thoughts fixate on one topic was nearly impossible. Worry over Tamli assaulted her, driving her to a halt. Was he any better? Had the medicine done anything for his body? He was on the verge of death and here she was about to confront his clone for information! What type of mate and lover was she to leave him at the whim of Makiar?

She heard the shadows whisper of the shuffling clones, how they seemed terrified at the prospect of fighting. Where was Dragonsbane going to get this courage from then to fight against the forces of Corruption and against Arxa? It seemed too much of a coincidence that the lead copy had said they would fight against the darkness when the time came. When would that time come since Tamli was currently unable to help with having no memory of his former life?

The thick mental that had been the door had already been pushed open, thanks to her mate and Amia on their earlier visit. Finca snorted as she stepped over the threshold, marveling at the exactness of the replica that her eyes beheld. Everything looked as it should if the lab hadn't burnt to the ground because of the future form of her son Rados.

_I know you're here_, she snarled softly, projecting her thoughts to all the clones she could locate immediately. _Your energy __burns like a living lanturn to my consciousness, a symbol of the former human you are duplicated from._

"Former human?" The question drew out three of the copies from the shadows and Finca stepped back in terror.

Their skin, once as pale white as paper, had turned a dull grey. Blood vessels, at least those she could immediately see, were nonexistent and all facial skin had drooped, giving their faces a grotesqueappearance. Pupils were all that remained of their eyes, although occasional flashes of red could be seen. What little clothes they had were in rags, barely holding to their deteriorating frames as every part of them seemed stretched beyond normal limits and sagging skin held the fragile beings together. A chill of horror ran down her spine and Finca bared her teeth in an attempt to scare them off.

"You expected us to look like him?" One clone taunted, raising a trembling hand to gesture toward her.

"He caused this. Our condition is all his fault," another murmured, turning its head to better stare at her with half-hidden eyes as loose skin wrestled with the sudden movement.

Finca cringed, realizing she would have to kill them. The sight of each unnerved her but they weren't Tamli. Well they had originally been built like him but now these things lacked the true form of what they had been created in the image of.

Shadows leapt from her tongue as she opened her maw, sealing her mind off from their horrid screams. At least the cries of pain had not changed, even though the sound caused her heart to flutter nervously. Blood oozed from the corpuses as she skirted them, taking special care not to take a look at their dead bodies. Dragonsbane was her target. Anything that got in her way would meet the same end that had dispelled the three abnormal copies.

Moving through deserted hallways, Finca felt a change in the area around her. What was concealed in darkness originally was now gleaming under the sun's rays. She lifted her head, intending to find only a shadowed ceiling above her, only to discover that there was now open space above her. A low snarl rose from deep in her chest as she realized the clones must be providing the illusion that the lab was still standing when, in fact, it had burned to rubble during her escape.

Twice more she was ambushed by the dysfunctional look-a-likes. They tried to remain in the shadows, but their wild striking efforts at attacking revealed their forms to the sunlight. Harsh screams filled her mind each time one burned under the intense light and heat, despite the painless method of demise they had chosen for themselves. The first wave had three as well but the second contained only two and with each attacking surge of enemies defeated, more and more of the illusion fell away. Soon she was walking on grounded bits of rock and fragile metal that had not burned under the force of the flames which had destroyed the original lab.

Eight copies were dead now, only two remained hidden from her powerful might. One of those was the means behind her reason for even daring to step foot into the terrible location once more. The other was simply smart or in better form than its allies. Finca wondered if she would be able to attack both at once, considering they had to be less crippled than the ones who had tried to hold her back upon entry.

With little to use as a placeholder of where she was, the white dragoness spread her wings and took to the open sky, seeking out a small hole that could be used to hide two copies of her love. Finally she located the only tiny crack in the ground that held her attention for any length of time, its place being right next to where the stone slab had once been while the illusion had held that Tamli had used as a shield against Amia. Dragonsbane had been correct when he told her mate that the grief-driven former-rider wanted to kill him where the first clone had begun its life.

She landed and blasted open the tiny surface with a gust of Shadowfire, revealing a stairwell that descended downward under the ground. Curiosity overtook her kind's need to protect themselves and she entered the long tunnel, sending out blasts of her element to make sure she was headed the right way since it got darker as she went farther down. Finca occasionally sent out probing thoughts, hoping to locate the two missing clones so she could be done with the ruins of a place that had scarred her for the rest of her life.

Finally one such mental suggestion was answered. The reply was short but its single word sent chills down her spine. _Finca?_

The voice, it couldn't be! Her entire frame quivered in fear as the only person alive who could sound like that had recently plagued her waking thoughts, despite the situation with Tamli. If she was correct, then either Dragonsbane or Amia had found Nethial's son . . .

* * *

><p>Dhran stirred softly, remembering Sitedal's Fear Shriek hit him face on. He shouldn't be alive, not after what had plagued him since. While his faintest memories of his mother were always present in the back of his mind, he had never truly found solace in her death. He blamed himself for it, since she had destroyed the only thing keeping her alive after she had given his name to him. In his fears, Tronay haunted him and battered him about his birth setting off the chain of events that led to her breaking Uria's eldunari and dying from the resulting pulse of life ebbing away.<p>

Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking back a sea of red as Makiar lowered her snout to rest on his chest. She had apparently realized enough to get him medical attention, it was a start to bringing her around since her aloofness concerned him. His eyes found her own and a low growl rose from within her, signaling she wasn't in a pleasant mood.

_Airu_, she hissed, the sound course and rough._You wake up just when I get Tamli straightened out. Do you know how bad that timing is?_

_It sounds just fine to me_, he replied, moving his right hand slightly just to make sure he had control over his muscles.

Makiar snarled, whipping her tail into something as Dhran heard the sound of glass breaking. He couldn't blame her for her anger but it was threatening to become uncontrollable, something that plagued her every few years.A soft mummer from Tamli broke their enfolding silence and the only word he could make out startled Airu.

" . . . Nethial . . ."

* * *

><p>Finca gripped the ground under her with her claws, fearing she might lose control of her emotions. The one she had sworn to Tamli she would protect was now being held by Dragonsbane. She stifled a snort and willed herself to make contact with the only human she was terrified of ever speaking with.<p>

_Why seeks me out?_

_You requested it from the sound of your probing inquires_, he answered, the reply nearly crippling her. Every word had sounded as if it had come from Tamli, the two voices were that similar.

_I only meant it as a way to communicate with the others that are down here . . ._

_The two men? They fight constantly over someone they call Tamli, I think. Something about killing the original and, through that, ending the copying process . . . I don't fully understand it all._

She repressed a shutter. They wanted to kill Tamli, was that what she had heard? It was his genetic material that had created them, certainly they understood that much. The distant sound of metal being hammered reached her sensitive hearing and the dragoness perked up, eager for what awaited her.

_Where are you? I can free you from this dismal place, if you'd like._

He was silent for a moment. _Fine_, he muttered, although she could detect a strain of anger deep in his thoughts. _Go down a few feet and you"ll come to a large stone alcove. Enter that and I'm hanging on the place where the rock overlaps to make a shelter for those that require it._

Finca snorted, reminding herself that it had been some time since she had last seen an alcove with her own eyes. She remembered somewhat its shape but she had to trust him on this. Tamli would be pleased to finally meet his son and, perhaps, it might trigger his memory.

_Your name, youngling? I knew it from long ago but remind me, if you would._

_Raoul Asburo, son of Nethial Asburo_, he answered proudly, the reply dizzying her.

To think that she had found the son of her mate was impossible. How had Raoul survived the years since his birth to still be living and to be right where she was in the exact moment? The entire idea seemed like a setup but she wouldn't jump to any conclusions quite yet. She had to find him first, then escape without causing any further damage to the already fire-destroyed place.

With her goal set in mind, Finca made haste to go to where Raoul was. His directions proved correct, he was where he had told her she would find him, in the alcove, and hanging by his wrists. His body frame was so similar to Tamli that she almost left upon entering, the connection to her love unbearable to break from. Raoul's violeteyes gazed carefully at her as she observed the chains which held him equal to her head's height. Whoever had done this was skilled with using the ways of metal, of that she was certain.

Glancing him over, and finding that he was a welcome distraction from the heavy linked irons that constricted his movement, she was surprised to find that, other than his body frame and eye color, everything else bore the look of his mother. The high cheekbones, although shallow from perhaps months of malnutrition, were still was a prominentfeature on his face and his legs looked strong, with evidence of muscles poking out from under the skin. He had on a torn white tunic and black pants that had been ripped off at the knees. His black hair hung in dirty strands and bruises covered most of his exposed skin, some in the process of healing, and the area around his wrists gleamed with the faint copper color of dried blood. She wondered how many times he had tried to escape before he had learned to stay put.

From outside of the alcove, Finca caught the sound of a sword unsheathing and she turned to strike, only hesitating once she saw _him_. It wasn't Dragonsbane but instead the ninth clone and it had not begun to even deteriorate as had the dysfunctional ones she had fought upon entrance into the ruins. She was staring at an exact copy of Tamli, all complete except for the lack of a white aura around him, the specialty of her mate. How he was an aura welder she knew not. Perhaps his odd creation had caused the spark of energy to remain in him, gifting him with the ability to use and sense its might?

"You are easy prey," the copy hissed, advancing toward her as it lifted its weapon in preparation to strike.

_But you're predictable_, she snapped back before letting a burst of her Shadowfire ignite him, causing the heartbreaking screaming to start once more until the clone dissolved into a pile of smoky ashes.

"Impressive," Raoul commented as Finca returned her focus to him, shifting her attention to working on the chains. "Mother told me stories of your strength but never did I imagine I would get to see that power for myself."

_Be lucky you're not on my bad side_, Finca hissed in warning for him to stop talking as she lifted her snout and breathed out another stream of her element.

The binding creaked and groaned in protest before cracking and breaking apart, releasing Raoul from their hold. He landed on his feet and rubbed his wrists, trying to get blood flowing back into them. Finca caught the hint of a grin from the one she had just saved as she flickered her gaze over the alcove's entrance, wary of another attack. There was only Dragonsbane left, and he probably couldn't stand up to her might without resorting to trickery.

"How are we going to escape?" Raoul asked as her eyes swept over the entrance to the alcove, trying to figure out what direction she wanted to take for leaving. Part of her wanted to stay and kill the remaining copy but seeing his son might bring some parts of his memory back to her beloved mate.

_Get on my back_, she commanded, sliding her tail around so he could use it to help maneuver himself up onto her scaled hide. _We're leaving._

Summoning her strength, she roared and lunged upwards, reaching for her native element deep in her mind as she did so. Shadows leapt to attention around her and she held back a snort as Raoul squirmed nervously, clutching at her back with all the strength he had. He wasn't aware of her intention otherwise he would have know to be still and let her ancient ways get them out without further incident. Finca felt herself pass through the rock above her and through many more layers before the cracked ground gave way to silent cold stars and she released the pent-up breath she had held during their risky escape. She forbid herself to recall the last night she had done such a thing, considering it had been to bring Tamli back home to their cave before his death.

_What was that? _Raoul shrieked, causing a faint snort from Finca in amusement._You're trying to kill us, aren't you?_

_Relax, Raoul. I would never willingly endanger your life, after the promise I made to your mother before your birth._

She dove into a shallow dive, seeking another air stream that would help raise her higher into the air. _What promise? _Raoul asked after a moment.

_I told her to hide the truth of your father's identity from you until the time was right. His actions were for your own good, as well as for mine and and your mother's. Now, the point has come that I must break the promise we swore to each others hours before you arrived in the dark world that would serve as your home for seventeen years . . ._

_You know?_ His curiosity over the subject inspired Finca to continue, realizing he would be better prepared to meet Tamli after hearing this. _Mother never mentioned anything about my father and I quickly learned to not bring the subject up around her, but . . . you know the truth?_

Finca flapped her wings, passing over a small creek as several deer bounded away, running for their lives from what they knew was a threat. She flicked her tail and drew a deep breath. This wouldn't be easy to explain to him, certainly not with the new complications that awaited them upon their return to the Compound.

_I know, young one. Your father is . . . struggling right now with his identity. Something happened and . . . well, I escaped with you because I think you might be able to help us with him._

Raoul huffed, _That doesn't help with knowing who he is._

_True, forgive me. _A plume of smoke rose from her nostrils. _The truth behind your parentage is that your father is Tamli Dragonsbane, the rider-turned-dragon who leads the rebellion against Arxa and the magic of Corruption._

Raoul was silent for several minutes following the revelation of who his father was. Finca suspected he was taking it in by tiny amounts, it was how she would have approached the delicate knowledge without having it swarm through her. Either way, it was pleasant to get the details off her chest. He had needed to know for some time, ever since the destruction of his home and the fall of the mighty Guardians following the ascension of Dartz to the Atlantean throne.

_He's the one then._

The words stunned her momentarily. What had he said? Had Tamli tried to make contact with him? Certainly not, her mate was in pretty bad shape since the encounter with Amia following the loss of his memory.

_What was that Raoul? I don't understand. He tried to contact you?_

_No_, he answered. _The one those two in the tunnels talked about. I saw how you tensed up when the one came to check on me, how it seemed like you were seeing a ghost. I assumed from there that my father was the one they spoke of, the one who . . . you nearly lost hours ago._

Finca snarled, whirling her head around. _Tell me all you know! No ordinary boy whose mother promised me she would hide the truth from him would know such things. Where did you get your information? Answer me!_

_I was in contact with the lead copy moments before you sent out those probing thoughts. He told me of what happened and explained much of the war going on outside the walls of my tortured life. _He paused for a second. _I never realized this would anger you as much as it does._

Realization came slowly for Finca. Raoul had been told by Dragonsbane about the war raging on and then left for her to find. It had been a setup, not the kind she expected but one nonetheless. Makiar would have already killed the child for this, yet something held her back from unleashing her anger on him. If he could help Tamli regain who he had been then the boy could live and she would forgive this little incident.


	32. Growing Turmoil

**Chapter 32-Growing Turmoil**

Dhran glanced over at Tamli's lifeless body as Makiar seemed to grow impatient. He suspected Finca was on her way back, but he couldn't verify that information until the white she-dragon entered the room and told of what she had experienced during her venture into the deserted ruins of a place that, from what he had heard, had left lasting scars on her. Despite the building having been the place where her mate had been slowly killed, the dragoness had nearly succumb to death by way of a dragon who was certain to make her life miserable.

Makiar snarled viciously and threw a glass container across the room in anger, breathing out a short stream of fire to add emphasis. He held back a chuckle, knowing what she might do if she discovered he was poking fun at her heated outrage over of lingering on the idea of Makiar's fury, Dhran turned his attention to Tamli, watching as the man's chest rose and fell shallowly. What had happened to him Airu was unaware of due to having been unconscious at the time but he suspected much from how the red she-dragon behaved as her eyes searched him frantically as if they were running out of time for something.

He braced a hand against the smooth metal behind him and lifted upward, forcing himself into a sitting position, only to be snarled at by Makiar as she begun to pace and send occasional objects hurtling through the air through telekinesis. She could care less for his safety, Airu realized as he narrowly avoided getting hit with a bottle of green liquid. Dhran caught the next item coming at him and clutched it tightly, shattering the fragile container and spilling its contents onto him.

"Makiar," he ordered, raising his voice to match the fury of her thoughts that reached his mind as she started to circle both tables, "stop!"

The change was immediate. She halted, gazing at him for a moment before lowering her head in shame. Dhran almost felt sorry for her, having to endure hundreds of different conversations daily while having only one real way to communicate with the humans she worked beside. He doubted she actually liked partnering with any of them and wondered if she might have ever been chosen as a human's partner during her years before being mentally shoved into Finca right after the white she-dragon's hatching.

_Forgive me, Airu. Finca is furious and is straining herself to return while I have made no progress with communicating in any way to Tamli. I told her I would work on it while she was gone but I . . ._

Dhran tuned the rest of her words out as he noticed a single finger on Tamli's left hand rise millimeters off the table and hang there for a second before falling back to the slab on which he wondered briefly if it was a signal that meant Finca was on her way back but he doubted it was true. If Makiar had been correct with what she had said then she couldn't locate the thoughts of the amnesiac former rider anyway so why would it be taken as a sign.

* * *

><p>The wind screamed around her as Finca dropped into a speedy dive, nearly throwing Raoul off her back as her wings pressed tightly against her side. She had heard him! Tamli had reached out to her mind and brushed his thoughts against hers, yet how? He was still unconscious last she checked with Makiar so . . .<p>

_I swear you're trying to kill us! _Raoul shrieked, breaking her concentration to the point where she did a barrel roll and almost flung the son of her mate from her frame.

Once she had recovered and made sure he was fine, which he insisted he wasn't, a low growl rippled from her jaws. _Enjoy the flight, whelpling, or so help me I will throw you off and go myself to check on Tamli, understood?_

The threat itself was enough to quiet Raoul and, for that, Finca was thankful. He irritated her far worse than his father ever had, but then again Tamli had never had to deal with the pressure that sought to consume her. Layers of stress were crushing her, making it harder each day to achieve what she needed. She briefly wondered if his return had started the downfall of her strong spirit. It made sense, given that Verdra had just been attacked at that moment in time and considering how the first two daughters she had by him had met their end all too soon.

_I'm sorry, Raoul_, she whispered softly, straining her muscular frame to free the cloud she had just drifted into. _The amount of stress that has been placed on me is . . . too great to overcome._

_So you need Father to help you, right? _The child inquired.

Despite the situation she found herself in, Finca snorted in amusement. _Certainly, little one, if he was at his best. Unfortunately . . ._

Raoul stroked her shoulder calmly, trying his best to soothe her fears. If only he knew, Finca mused as the touch did cool down her heated thoughts slightly. A tremor ran down her spine, bring with it an tendril of thought that maybe Makiar had indeed found a way to seek out Tamli and bring him back to were he belonged: by her side.

Finca roared, snapping her wings out to their full length. _Hold on_, she shrilled as the wind whipped past her, helping to carry them farther than just by her own strength.

She faintly heard Raoul scream before she narrowed her eyes and folded her wings, dropping into a quick dive that sent wind gusts blasting behind her, some threatening to tear him off of her. Her mind focused solely on Tamli, shutting out anything else as the desire to rejoin him took control over her actions. A part of her reasoned that his son could be hurt but the tendril of worry was soon forgotten as Finca forced her wings open and leaned back, letting the drafts from above slow her down gently. If one person was hurt from this then what would it matter? One life in exchange for the return of her mate, a fitting decision.

The pull of her element called to her and she answered it, allowing the greyish vapor to mask her scales and make her nearly invisible. Again Raoul tried to get her attention but she ignored it, snarling deeply in rage. He knew not her desire to see Tamli, he would never understand the urge that gripped her and made her act as she did. It was her instincts that caused her actions, or at least she made herself think it was the reason behind her rash behavior.

_I'm coming to you, love_, she growled softly as air rocketed past her frame as she pushed herself to the edge of her strength and endurance to return to her mate as soon as she possibly could within the limitations of her body.

* * *

><p><em>Sitedal? <em>Verdra snorted, coming up beside him and nuzzling him before licking his cheek._What bothers you?_

The lanky black dragon turned from where he had been under a tree and returned her show of affection with his own, trying to not show the fear that plagued his mind. Although they had gotten Ryta to watch the remaining eggs and Seraphina for them while they ventured outside to enjoy some quiet time as a pair, he was deeply distraught. Sitedal drew his head back to gaze at his mate, his purple eyes masked by layers of pain and sorrow from the years of serving Arxa and the power of Corruption.

_I worry for the remaining little ones, love. Who they will choose as their Riders for there are few humans left who have not been selected by a dragon as their partner. _He looked away, curling his tail around his left hind leg. _My heart also aches for Narssia, if she can be returned I doubt she will be in the same condition she was seven years ago before all the madness begun._

_I understand_, Verdra nodded in sympathy as he returned his gaze to her. _I also fear for Mother as it seems she has a lot of stress on her right now with Father's condition and her worries over the egg she gave to Rados. We should . . ._

Sitedal snorted, nuzzling her under her maw. _Should what?_

She backed up, refusing to speak even as he pressed her more on the subject. Finally he stopped questioning Verdra and lapsed into silence, only then did she close her eyes and lower her head. The male snorted and quietly approached, resting his snout against hers.

_I'm here_, he whispered softly, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent as it invaded his nostrils because of their closeness.

Slowly Verdra reopened her eyes and flinched upon realizing that Sitedal had come to rest his snout next to hers, symbolizing how far he would go to be with her. The gesture was nice but she drew back from it and walked away, coming to a stop under another tree not too far away. Sitedal immediately realized she wasn't next to him and opened his eyes, looking around frantically he saw that she had moved to sit under a tree. He went to join her, laying down behind her as she sat with her back to him.

_I didn't come to make you move away again_, Sitedal commented_, but just to let you know that I am here for you, love, when you need me._

Verdra barely opened her eyes upon hearing him speak, yet the words struck a chord with her heart. She was treating him worse than she had intended, but he wouldn't be able to accept what was nagging at her soul. Finca had been brave to promise her that she would keep the eggs from Tamli until later, yet the knowledge she had gained from the depths of Dhran's mind after her mother had departed gave way to disappointment and despair toward both her father and Sitedal. How could she face him with this knowledge?

_Sitedal, tell me the truth on this, please. Did Arxa have Jormundur go through time to attack my mother? What was so important that he make her lose the egg with me in it? Tell me! What was she trying to cover up? _Verdra had started soft but by the end she was screeching in anger, threatening to roar in madness. Her abandonment had been fore planned, or at least Dhran thought so.

Sitedal hesitated before he growled softly, lifting his eyes to the hollow spot between her shoulder blades. _She feared you were the chosen one, the one the Atlantean prophesy spoke of that would end an era of darkness. Arxa was certain the hatchling would come from the great line of Nor'ac, seeing as how the other crisis-savers have been a part of the legacy of the original white dragon. _He paused. _Jormundur was supposed to capture your egg and bring it back, thus leaving the choice to her whether you would live or not. If you had been captured then you would have been forced to obey the darkness of Corruption, becoming a slave to its magic like Jormundur, mother, and I are._

_You're not a slave_, she corrected, turning her head faintly to the side to better see him. _What your brother lacks in will, you make up for in the loyalty you display towards Seraphina and me, and also to our eggs._

He sighed, resting his head on his forepaws. _That's not true. I nearly killed you the night Seraphina chose Airu as her partner-of-mind. Had her frightened gaze not awoke my own fears of losing my mother to the darkness, I would have ended your life as easily as Arxa killed Raxmon many moons ago. _

Verdra glanced behind her, watching as Sitedal snorted and closed his eyes as if he believed the discussion was over. She pitied him, not only for having to endure as much as he had since been conceived, but for the sheer amount of weight that must be on his shoulders with the disappearance of his brother and mother into thin air. Silently, she figured it was the same ability Jormundur had used to attack her mother even as he was barely hatched by the time of the assault. The craftiness of the grey dragon had almost caused her death also, so to say he had a skill powerful enough to go through time wasn't pure speculation.

_Sitedal? _Verdra snorted, sensing a peculiar feeling radiating throughout her body. _Do you feel that?_

_If you mean the odd sensation of newness in the realm of living, then yes I also am experiencing it. Could it be that one of our eggs has begun to hatch? You told me of the feeling you got when Seraphina hatched, it does seem similar to what you mentioned._

She growled softly. _I agree, it does resemble what Seraphina's hatching was like to me. _

_Why did I not feel her entry into the world? I was returning to you, yet the sensation I was not aware of. _He paused. _Any ideas, love? _

_Perhaps your emotions clouded your thoughts, thus preventing the newness of life from reaching you and signaling you that coming to my side was a must. _

Sitedal thought over the words for a moment, taking in the meaning of each before giving a low growl of agreement. Verdra was right, he had been irritable when he had come to find her after Makiar's words of concern had turned his thoughts to how he could better hide his element from his mate. He prided Seraphina for drawing him out of his fury, a rage so deep he could have killed them both and not realized what had been done until it was completely over and he was left with blood on his claws.

_We should hurry to greet our new little ones, should we not? _Verdra growled as she stood, turned to face him as he sat up, and lowered her snout to nuzzle against his.

_Indeed. I do not plan to miss their hatching as I did with Seraphina's. Come then. _Sitedal let their contact hold for a moment longer before standing as well and leading her back toward the dark underground tunnels that held the only dragons who would dare oppose the power of Corruption and Arxa's might willingly.

* * *

><p>As two of the clutch of Sitedal and Verdra's hatched, a cloaked man slipped in under Ryta's watch and went to examine the eggs. Clutching at the soft white material that shrouded his body from being seen with a scarred hand, the robed figure knelt down and ran his other hand over one of the eggshells, marveling at how the deed that was about to be done would disrupt the lives of two dragons who wanted nothing to do with the war around them. He pitied this self-centered mind-set but ignored his current thoughts as he reached into his cloak and brought out a small dagger with a jeweled pommel.<p>

The initial crack on one of the eggs was the signal the man needed. He threw the dagger with perfect accuracy and watched as the metal went through the tiny opening in the egg and slaughtered the hatchling immediately. With one dead, the figure turned his attention to the one before him as it started to quiver, an early sign of the hatching to come. From where the dagger was, still imbedded in the brain of the youngling its deadly metal had killed, its owner called it back to his hand. Blood stained the floor as the weapon obeyed the call and jerked back the way it had come, only to be sent to destroy the whelpling before the man as he personally plunged the steel in the egg to slaughter the second dragonet.

As the man was about to kill the third, he heard the sound of approaching beings whose footfalls sounded like dragons with the steady click of each paw on the ground. The egg rocked, shell quivering as he stood and dropped the weapon, lowering the hood of his cloak as he felt warm air swirl into the room from just outside of it. It seemed the dragons had come early, well it made no difference to him but he would have liked to slaughter all three new dragonets as to make a point. His ruffled black hair was smoothed back with a bloodied hand as the figure turned his red eyes to the entrance of the chamber.

_Welcome Sitedal and Verdra, I hope I was not being intrusive_, he commented mentally as he stood back up and stepped into the shadows of the room, hoping to leave as soon as the two entered and discovered the gift he had left for them.

_Tamli, this is surprising. Why did you visit us? Was the pull of new life strong within you as well? _Sitedal remarked, mistaking the great rider for the clone of the same man that had just tried to slaughter the remainder of his family.

_I visited for no particular reason, really. The hatching sense did not even affect me, seeming as it only calls out to those that readily answer its pull and open their minds to the odd feeling_, Dragonsbane lied as he took the time to pull up his hood once more and leave the room, pausing to glance at the two dragons his actions had ultimately affected.

He was careful though as to not let them see his eyes or even his hair, only letting them see his form and hear his voice. It was similar enough to the man he had been copied from so Tamli would take the blame for actions that his clone had caused. The plan was genius, he had to give his late creator that much credit. Ruining Tamli's life would only make it easier for him to plant seeds of destruction into the amnesiac's mind so that he could take over where the original had once been, at the peak of power, while the memory-forsaken man was left to die under the burden of deaths that could be traced only back to him.

Leaving the two dragons to discover what awaited them, Dragonsbane slipped off into Finca's personal chamber, searching for the one object that would only add to the charges against the original who he sought to destroy one death at a time. With some searching, he found the broken sword where it lay in the center of the room, metal still gleaming brightly. He smirked and went over to it, placing a hand on each piece of the sword. As he poured his power into the weapon, he was also reconstructing what Finca had torn apart many years ago after Tamli's bodily death. With a flash of white light, the blade was made complete again and Dragonsbane picked it up and channeled his strength into the topaz jewel that adorned the pommel of the famous sword of the original who he was copied from.

Deciding the blade was indeed back in one piece, Dragonsbane used a combination of his powers to make an identical copy of the weapon, changing only the color of the pommel and replacing the topaz stone with a ruby, thus giving him a black-pommeled ruby-jewel adorned sword to fight against the blessed blade of Tamli. The time would eventually come when the two blades would meet for their first and final encounter. An event that would, ultimately, determine the fate of the remaining dragons as to whether they would lose the only home they knew for years or whether they would be allowed to continue to exist out of sight of the general human population.

A gesture of his hand as he left sparked a quickly growing fire where the sword lay, a message to both the dragoness and to Tamli that their troubles were far from over. Dragonsbane had lied when he told Tamli that he would fight against the power of Corruption when the time came. He was aiding its magic instead, having been promised the respect he no doubt needed after this horrible crime he had just caused.

He trailed a hand over the delicately carved walls as he left the underground tunnels, sparking greater fires and yet, at the same time, he whispered softly three words into the chilled pre-dawn air: "You may return."

A sense of calm descended over him as he felt Tamli's presence quickly return to its shell. The vial was a clever idea, useful for both healing wounds and for causing the original of a cloned person to vanish from the minds of others until the one who had given the medicine had deemed it long enough and brought the spirit back into being. Dragonsbane suspected that Amia had created the liquid for that purpose, intending the clones to use it to give them enough time to switch out bodies, thus letting one of their own take over the life Tamli had once held.


	33. From the Ashes

**Chapter 33-From the Ashes**

Verdra shrieked, hiding her snout under the protection of Sitedal's wing as they stared at the bloodied remains of two hatchlings killed just as they had begun to hatch from their eggs. She heard her mate's growl soften slightly and she drew the strength to see what had tempered his display of anger. From the ashes of their tragedy, one of the three eggs had survived the brutal murder. The hatchling within finished shattering its egg and blinked, startled as its parents were about the blood all around the room.

_It's male_, Sitedal whispered, his voice barely heard by Verdra as she gazed at her new dragonet.

_Seraphina has a brother now_, she muttered, finally accepting that it was only two hatchlings that had hatched from their first clutch. _What should we name him?_

Sitedal was silent for some time until he snorted and lowered his snout, encouraging his son to venture near them. _Ladetis_, he growled, flicking his gaze to her for a moment. _He shall be called so for he survived what could have caused his death . . . _

_You think . . . Father was responsible? _Verdra questioned, picking up on the unspoken thoughts of her mate. They had heard his voice before he left the room and they discovered the bloody scene left for them.

_You heard him as clear as I did and then for him to leave the room afterwards . . . I believe so. He did inflict the scar on my eye, remember? _

Verdra sighed, watching as Ladetis was nuzzled by his father. _I remember. I wanted to hurt him for that but you told me revenge would not fit my calm nature. _

Sitedal hummed soothingly at the remark and nudged their son over to her, briefly making eye contact. Verdra snorted, concerned over the briefness of anger she had seen in his gaze but dismissed the thought to pursue the issue as Ladetis stumbled over to her, still unsure on his own feet. She lowered her head and licked him carefully, trying to wipe away all traces of blood from him that symbolized his dead siblings and covered their once peaceful chamber. It was not supposed to be like this, she reasoned angrily, she was supposed to be surrounded by three new hatchlings instead of just her surviving son.

_Should we tell Seraphina? _Sitedal asked cautiously as she closed her eyes and nuzzled her son with all the sympathy she could give towards his new life as being a survivor of a vicious murder that could have killed him as it had with two of his nest-mates.

_Not yet, but . . . _Verdra opened her eyes and gazed up at him. _She should get a chance to meet him while he is still young._

_I agree, love_, Sitedal growled softly, unfolding a wing to drape over his mate and his new offspring._ _Yet I want an answer from Tamli as to why he would seek to destroy our family. I realize he is unstable but his actions clearly speak that he is a danger to all dragons, particularly those that have laid clutches recently. __His gaze flickered to Ladetis and then back to Verdra. _Go and spread the word while I find Tamli. We shall endure this and become stronger from it._

Verdra hummed softly before Sitedal withdrew his wing and she nudged Ladetis to stay by her side. The darkness of outside the chamber cloaked her immediately yet the white scales of their son could still be seen by Sitedal as he watched them leave to tell others about the bloodbath that had ripped most of their family from them. He shook his head, gazing down at the broken eggshells of two dragons that would never be able to unlock their hidden potential or even embrace a single sunrise. A low growl rose from deep in his throat, he had work to do instead of just standing around mourning his lost hatchlings. Tamli would pay for the damage that had been done and he would see to it fully. There was a price for taking the lives of innocent dragonets and Sitedal would see to Tamli receiving the horrid payment for his actions.

* * *

><p>Dhran hesitated at first as he saw Tamli's eyes open yet immediately went to action as the former rider started to thrash about wildly, limbs flailing. He subdued the man and gripped his wrists tightly, staring deep into the purple irises of the amnesic individual. As Airu watched, he noticed a change come over Tamli as the man stilled himself and turn his gaze and head to the side, unwilling to meet the harsh glare that Dhran directed towards him.<p>

"Tamli, what is with you? If I had not been close to you then you probably would have fallen off the table, is that what you wanted? A chance to damage your already weakened body? How you survived the wounds you have amazes me but do not try anything else, understood?" Dhran angrily removed a hand from Tamli's wrist to grab his jaw and turn his head to that their eyes met. "Answer me! Is that your wish to be injured to the point of death? Finca would go on a rampage if you died, you do realize that right? She would slaughter innocents just to quell her misery and rage. Think if that is smart on your part to cause her to lose all reason. Lives of innocents rest on you . . . living."

"Get your hands off of me!" Tamli hissed between clenched teeth before Dhran was telekinetically thrown backwards and into a wall as a result of angering the powerful human.

He picked himself up from the force of the throw and was about to walk back over when Makiar snapped her tail down before him and growled harshly. Dhran glared at Tamli before taking a deep breath to calm himself, which the she-dragon approved of and then let him pass, her eyes trained on him in case she had to act to avoid a fight between the two. The former rider flickered his gaze away and Airu placed a hand on the table near Tamli's leg.

_Don't_, Makiar warned as her tail whipped through the air._ _I spent too long trying to dress his wounds for him to get new ones. __She looked to the opening to the room. _Someone comes and they are not pleased._

Sitedal entered, sweeping his gaze around until he located Tamli. A low growl rose from his chest and he stepped closer to the man, claws shining with a faint reddish glow. Dhran stepped in front of Tamli, ready to draw his sword if need be, only to be pushed aside by the bulk of the black dragon.

_Stand, murderer_, Sitedal rumbled, his voice sounding to Airu like a rockslide that was nearing the point of collision.

Tamli hesitated, Dhran noticed, in obeying the request. Confusion clearly dictated his actions as he reluctantly stood and braced himself against the table as the act of standing took most of his strength. Makiar growled low in warning to Sitedal as Tamli's frame shook with weariness.

_He is in no condition to be on his feet, Sitedal_, Makiar hissed. _He just survived being killed twice in the span of a day so back off._ Her frame paled in comparison to the monstrosity that was Sitedal's size as he was slightly larger than her despite the massive year difference.

Sitedal growled in annoyance at the remark, choosing to ignore it in favor of inflicting damage on the human who had killed his hatchlings so brutality. Tamli clutched at the smooth metal, finding it harder to catch his breath as his limbs burned with pain. When had he last felt this exhausted, this drained of strength? The fight against Amia had not shown favor to him until Dragonsbane had stepped in to fight for him. While he appreciated the act of kindness, it only proved that he was struggling to retain the sharpness of skill he had once held long ago during his youth. He blinked, startled. How had he known that he had been fitter in his youth? Was his memory coming back?

_Choose your last words, human_, Sitedal snarled, opening his maw slightly to allow Tamli to see a faint red light shining from back in the dragon's throat.

"What have I been accused of? If you claim I am a murderer then who did I kill? Explain that to me before you engulf me in whatever flames you may possess."

Sitedal growled deeply, smoke rising from his nostrils as he narrowed his eyes. _You killed two of my hatchlings just as they were coming into this world, slaughtering them as they begun to hatch. What more reason do I need then to make you pay for ripping their lives from Verdra and myself?_

"I did not hurt them. Until recently, I was unconscious and would not have been able to commit such a crime as you claim I have, therefore the blame is not mine." Tamli clutched the table harder, finding it difficult to keep his legs from trembling out of exhaustion. "There must be an explanation because I was not the one who ripped your family from you, I would not do that to a dragon as powerful as you seem to be out of respect-"

_Save the excuses! _Sitedal roared, smashing his tail down beside Tamli in anger. _You own up to your fault and confess you killed them. Verdra and I heard your words, saw you leaving our chamber before we found the bloody scene left for us. There can be no other person able to do what was inflicted upon us, at least that I am aware of, and thus the blame is yours alone._

Summoning his strength, Tamli pushed himself away from the table and stared down the black dragon. "I did not kill them yet your words puzzle me. You said you heard my voice and saw my frame . . . This cannot be . . ."

"What is it Tamli?" Dhran asked, watching the confrontation with worry over the state of the amnesic human out of pity for all the man had gone through only days before.

"Sitedal, is it? I believe you are mistaken. It is not I that killed your little ones but an identical copy of me that Amia created to replace me at the right time. I discovered this upon him leading me to the abandoned lab where the she-dragon Misery had tried to end my life years ago. One of the clones I met I gave a name to, a name that I now regret: Dragonsbane. He is the one who slaughtered the innocent dragonets and should be the one to take the punishment for this horrid act of violence."

_You lie_, Sitedal hissed, lifting a taloned foreleg towards Tamli. _It was you that killed my hatchlings. There is no clone, I would know about it. _

"You would not. I have told no one, nor has Finca. We kept this a secret for the good of those down here. I feared they might come after me if they knew that a rouge copy of me was walking around and could attack them with no warning," Tamli corrected, lifting a hand to his head as he grimaced.

_Sitedal, he is not your enemy_, Makiar snarled, eyes flickering to the black dragon for a moment before her gaze returned to Tamli. _I understand the actions that were taken but did you not think this through Tamli? What's wrong?_

Tamli clutched his head, falling to his knees as he squeezed his eyes shut. His body trembled and Airu took a step forward before a harsh scream split the air. All attention turned immediately to the amnesic rider as he screamed again, crying out in pain as it felt to him like the greatest electrical current had tore through his body. Nerve endings fried and his body started to spasm as his screams grew louder in volume and despair, yet those around him were stunned at his sudden change in condition.

Sitedal snorted, tail quivering with rage as he believed it was all a lie. He refused to accept Tamli's explanation for the murder, continuing to tell himself that it was the person before him who had ripped two innocent lives from Verdra and him out of wrath. No matter what the human did, he would not be swayed to believe that a clone had taken from him two lives that could never be replaced.

_You may act like this out of seeking pity but I refuse to stoop to this level. Admit this killing like the man I know you are, not the weakling you pretend to be in order to slip by the radar of others. I refuse to know how many other lives you have ruined and gotten away with_, Sitedal hissed, sliding his tail back behind him so it would be out of the way.

Makiar's low growl rippled through the air as her gaze narrowed on the black dragon. _Enough, fear-mongrel. Tamli is telling the truth, you have the means to confirm that for yourself, if you do or not is left to you. I would hate for you to be in this room when Finca returns. She is in far greater a rage then I have ever known, one that you should stay clear out of for your own safety._

_Do not try to lecture me! _The enraged dragon snarled in disgust, turning his attention to the red she-dragon as Makiar stepped between Tamli and Sitedal.

_I was not lecturing you, we both know that does no good. I only offered advice, you can choose to accept it or continue down this dark path. What would Verdra think if she saw you right now? You nearly killed her and Airu in the same night yet you think now you can control your fury enough to direct it solely at one individual, is that right?_

_I do not need you to interfere Makiar!_

_What then do you need? _A low snarl echoed from outside the room, causing Makiar to flinch at hearing the voice of Finca so loathing and seething with anger. She had not kept check on the she-dragon's movements as she should have, otherwise Finca would not have surprised her by showing up unannounced.

Sitedal growled softly, turning around as the white dragoness entered, Raoul pressed flat against her back out of panic. The black dragon stood his ground as she neared and glared at him, snarling as she did so in an attempt to make him move out of her way. She snapped at him as he let her pass by, teeth missing his scaled hide by mere inches as he snarled softly at her behavior. Finca let Raoul down beside his father and then returned to face Sitedal, tail raised in preparation for a fight as he did the same, finally ceasing his snarling to gaze at her completely for some way he could quickly overpower her and take her down as soon as possible.

_Get them out of here_, Finca hissed, gaze flickering to Tamli for a moment before it locked onto Sitedal. _How dare you try and refute his words! He tells the truth about Dragonsbane, for he was unconscious when your little ones were killed. For that I am sorry but leave him out of this._

Finca waited until Makiar and Dhran had gotten Tamli and Raoul out of the room, leaving the two dragons alone to settle their dispute. Once she was sure they were safety away, the white she-dragon relaxed slightly and begun to circle Sitedal, careful to stay a good distance from him in case he tried to attack. The black dragon, however, tried multiple times to snap at her, only to be hit with her tail as she walked past.

_They have left_, he noted once he restrained himself enough to keep from trying to lock his maw around her neck. _This is unexpected; Makiar did not seem to notice your arrival yet you brought the other human with you . . ._

_I am aware of that, young dragon of Corruption. It was difficult to mask my mind from her, given the length of time we were held by one mind together, yet I accomplished it for the sole reason of making my entrance a surprise to those that are familiar with me. _Finca snorted, _I suppose you cannot understand my reasons, but I do not expect you to quite yet._

Sitedal growled softly, appalled that she would ever think he could not understand the reason for a seemingly harmless act. He had known long before Narssia had shown signs of the darkness within her that something was different about the dragon he knew as his mother. Finca was in no position to say he knew not of the rash actions a member of his kind must make for the good of those around it.

_Forgive me, the day has been filled with stress. Losing two hatchlings right as they enter the world has affected me most harshly, and for that I am sorry to have ever considered Tamli as the murderer-_

Finca roared, lunging at him. She threw him against the wall behind him and pinned him there, a fore taloned leg pressed against his neck. _Never say that! _She screamed, a burst of Shadowfire erupting from her maw and singeing his shoulder.

Sitedal growled, eyes flaring with rage as he looked deep into her eyes. She held on to her pain despite the anguish it dealt her, something he had once done while he had been held by the might of Arxa. Holding onto the misery only made a dragon go insane, something he knew by instinct and experience, yet he sensed that Finca's problem was not that she held onto it but that she let it take hold of her and ruin her life. He clenched a taloned foreleg, dreading what he had to do to her in order to make her realize the stress she was putting herself under.

_Finca, listen to me. You have to let go of the pain you have been holding onto. I know it sounds crazy coming from me but this stress and guilt will consume you if you do not work on fixing the problem. Let me help you, I can make it easier for you to work things out . . . please?_

He knew she would take it as a desperate plea, which it certainly was, yet he was not sure how she might respond. Slowly she lowered her foreleg and stepped back, letting him free from where she had pinned him against the wall. Finca's gaze suggested to him that she might acknowledge his request to help her, but her demeanor quickly changed and Sitedal worried she might attack him for even asking if she needed to relieve the stress piled upon her.

_No. _The one word answer confirmed his fears and Sitedal locked eyes with her, opening his maw the tiniest crack so his element could infuse into the air and affect Finca.

_You will open up to me, Finca. I want all the details of how Tamli found out about the clones. Amia had told only Narssia about that, which she later passed on to me, yet he was not supposed to discover that at Misery's lab. _

She snarled and turned her gaze from him, eyes flickering with a faint reddish tone that assured Sitedal his element was slowly weaving its way into her mind and loosening up her stubborn self-control. He narrowed his eyes, wielding his fear prowess with a depth he had not known he possessed until he found himself using the element to force her to speak on how Tamli had discovered the cloning process in the destroyed remains of the abandoned lab. With a low hiss, Finca backed away from him, wings unfolding at the ready to take flight if need be as he snorted in amusement that it had taken her this long to figure out what he was doing inside her mind.

_Stay out of my head_, she growled as Sitedal clamped his maw shut and watched as a reddish vapor descended over her, leaving her no choice but to reveal all that Tamli had seen while at the deserted place, including the truth about the clones and Dragonsbane.

_I have no need to be inside your mundane thoughts, dragon of the shadows. You have provided me with the answers I seek, including the reason behind the disappearance of my brother and Arxa. For that I thank you, but you have no more use in my eyes._

The she-dragon tensed as the vapor grew thicker, masking the room in its bloody glow. Sitedal flicked his tail in boredom and the fear mist swarmed into her, pouring its power into making her mind deceive her. He was interested in the new skill, seeing it as a useful enhancement of his Fear Shriek. It was a pity Finca had to be the first to experience it though, but he would rather have a live participant anyway.

_Go into the cell that held my mother and remain there until I deem it so_, he commanded, voice sharp with rigid obedience that she would do well to follow as it might save her life from his wrath later.

Finca nodded, eyes murky under the control of the unnatural element, before leaving the room to obey his orders. He enjoyed the control he now held over someone, yet he would make it a point to never control Verdra or his hatchlings unless there was no other way he could keep them safe. Perhaps it was his element that brought out the power of Corruption from within him? Sitedal was not sure but he certainly was not planning on waiting to find out.


	34. Reasoning

**Chapter 34-Reasoning**

Raoul cautiously followed Dhran and Makiar down a long narrow hallway that brought them out into a large inner chamber that had several pathways branching off of it that lead elsewhere in the underground system. His gaze occasionally flickered to the still man who had finally calmed down and drifted into unconsciousness laying against the red she-dragon's back, recalling what Finca had taken upon herself to inform him during their mad flight back to the subterranean world. Here was his own father at the mercy of one of the greatest natural predators he knew of and it scared him that the dragon could turn on the helpless man at any time and end his life. He stopped behind Airu as the silver-haired individual drew his sword, the grating sound as it withdrew from its sheath reminding Raoul of his time spent as Amia's prisoner.

"Is here good, Makiar?" Dhran asked, motioning with his sword to the entire room, prompting Raoul to scan the walls and see the tiny gemstones placed within the woodgrain and fixated near each blue lanturn that adorned at least close to the entrance of every tunnel, including the one they had come from.

The ruby dragoness sniffed the air before a low growl rose from within her throat. _It will do fine, Airu_, she remarked, her voice sounding to Raoul like the rumbling before a volcano erupts. _As for you_, she hissed as he found a yellow orb fixed on him, _who are you?_

"Raoul Asburo," he replied, trembling slightly out of fear towards the massive dragon beside him. "Finca found me in the caverns under the ruins of Misery's lab and brought me here to help my father-"

As soon as he had revealed the reason he had been brought along, Raoul retreated a step, quivering as Makiar turned her entire head to face him. He shook even harder once the she-dragon lifted the edges of her maw and showed him her sharp pointed teeth, snarling softly behind them to show her displeasure. Raoul backed up against the wall, trying to grasp for anything to use as a weapon if he had to fend off the dragon from ripping him to shreds, remembering that Finca had told him she had kept the promise she had made with his mother until their flight about who his father had been. No other dragon had been told this so the fury of the dragon before him was justified, despite whether he liked the attention or not that was directed his way for even bringing up what Finca had disclosed to him alone.

_Who is your father? You seem to be still young in years so I doubt it could be too many of the male humans down here. Of the two we have, I cannot foresee either having a child with another out of their respectable partnerships. _Her snout lowered to the point it was even with his chest, their eyes locking. _Tell me the name of your father, young Asburo._

Out of the corner of his eye, Raoul saw Dhran turn slightly to better face him and cross his arms, appearing as interested as Makiar was about knowing who the parent was that he had unfortunately mentioned. He swallowed, wishing he had not spoken those words at all as it seemed both human and dragon alike wanted the truth. Raoul hoped they would not be too angry with the response he was about to give, yet he secretly figured they might be confused over why it might have happened so long ago and why he was not older than he appeared to be.

"My father is Tamli Dragonsbane," he whispered, closing his eyes as if the announcement might cause the two to attack him out of rage. Only when he heard nothing did he reopen his eyes to see both staring at him with disbelief.

"How is it even possible that the man we have known for so long as a dragon created a human son by intercourse with another?" Dhran asked as he re-sheathed his sword and pulled Tamli from Makiar's back, laying the man on the ground between them.

_I had not known Tamli was interested in women during his mortal years_, Makiar snorted, her tone filled with confusion and equal disbelief as Raoul thought might be present in their stunned words. _Your mother, young one, was she Nethial Asburo?_

"Indeed she was," Raoul replied, voice barely above a whisper. "Why do you ask?"

_Because Finca became very interested in her dragon along the same time the training brought together the two pairs. I did not realize it at the time but I believe now this might have caused the attraction between Tamli and Nethial, thus creating you from that intrigue they had towards each other._ She snorted again, releasing a puff of smoke from her nostrils. _Yet something puzzles me. Why would Tamli leave Nethial and go off with Amia once he knew she was with child? I understand his reasoning behind protecting Finca but at the cost of leaving you and your mother unprotected . . . It just fails to sound like something he would do._

Airu cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. "As you have told me many times, Makiar, there is little of the life before the tri-mind experience of Tamli that we understand. You may have been within Finca during this unwillingly, but you should know greater of his motives then most others, including Raoul's mother."

Raoul quickly glanced at his father before returning his attention to Makiar and Dhran. He had known they would not understand right away how he could be the son of one of the most powerful hybrids alive, Finca's words upon their return had assured him of that much. If he could not get them to realize the truth behind his words then how would they treat him? Was he to be outcast from this band of rebels against the rule of Corruption?

"I am telling you the truth," Raoul clarified as he saw from the corner of his eye the body of his father twitch.

"I do not disagree with you," Dhran remarked as he uncrossed his arms and let them hang by his sides. "What Makiar and I fail to understand is how he could have left you both alone and not stayed to keep watch over the love of his heart."

Tamli twitched again, hand clenching out of reflex as Raoul smiled. He had not expected that the meeting between them would happen more quickly then he had believed upon seeing Tamli from the back of Finca. It seemed that being a dragon-human hybrid certainly gave his father a quicker recovery rate for injuries.

_I must be off_, Makiar snorted, turning to walk away. _Uria requests my presence over something of the greatest urgency. _She growled softly as she left the room, much to the confusion of Raoul who looked to Dhran for an explanation of the she-dragon's behavior.

Airu hesitated for a moment before he spoke, seeming to Raoul that he carefully chose his words for fearing of being questioned later by Makiar. "I am never certain when it comes to her and her behavior. Since my earliest memories, she has always been quick to anger and would not hesitate to snarl at the slightest little thing. It aggravates some of the dragons down here but most have learned to deal with it and not question her motives."

"I see," Raoul muttered, still confused over the peculiar behavior, yet distracted by what Finca had told him about his father. According to the dragoness, Tamli had sacrificed a good life for himself in order to protect her and, as Dhran had pointed out, had left Nethial once he was certain she was pregnant. What father would do that to his own son? Had Tamli not wanted him to know who his father was, even making his own mother hide the truth because of the words of a dragon?

"You seem plagued by things deeper than an interest in Makiar's behavior," Dhran commented. "Care to tell me what's on your mind? You don't have to if you choose but it might do you good to get it off your chest."

Raoul started to speak but then restrained himself. He had just met Dhran yet the man seemed so easy to talk with about any problem. With a sigh, he leaned up against the wall behind him and crossed his arms. Surely speaking with the individual before him would do no harm, it wasn't like he was in danger or anything.

"Your words . . . puzzle me, Airu. I had never known the identity of my father until today, yet you make it seem like he left because he wanted to, not because he had no other choice."

"Is that what Finca told you? That Tamli had no other choice and left to keep Nethial and her safe?" Dhran questioned, pressing him for answers. "She isn't right in the head, hasn't been for a few years now. I would be hesitant to believe anything she says, but it is your decision."

"The event where she lost the egg? Is that what started everything?"

Airu sighed, flickering his gaze away as he angrily gripped the handle on his sword. "Maybe, but no one knows for certain. I think she has always been a little messed up to tell you the truth."

Changing tactics, Raoul decided to ask to see the sword, wanting to know what Dhran would say in response. He waited patiently as the man fingered the hilt and silently cheered as the weapon was pulled free and its blade pointed away from him. Just as he was about to grab for it, his gaze happened to flicker in the direction of Tamli. His father was awake and his purple eyes stared intensely at him, the once gentle irises masked by layers of confusion and pain. It pitied Raoul to see how far the former rider had fallen from his height of power as mental partner of Finca and lover of Nethial to the broken form before them.

"Tamli?" Airu asked gingerly, kneeing next to the wounded man. "This is-"

With surprising speed, Tamli clamped his free hand over Dhran's mouth, eyes alight with a look of realization. "I know who he is," he croaked, straining himself so Raoul could hear. "That child, that boy, is my son."

* * *

><p>While Tamli was meeting with Raoul for the first time, Dragonsbane was angrily pacing the stone floor of Arxa's cave. He wanted to know more about where the powerful dragoness had gone, and since one of her sons had disappeared with her, he figured the lonely location would reveal more than venturing back to the dark underground where he had slaughtered the two hatchlings of Sitedal and Verdra's clutch. Their entrance had ruined his plans; he had wanted to destroy all three but they came at the worst moment possible. With a scream, he punched the wall before him and came to a stop, letting the blood from his now broken knuckles ooze down his hand and onto the floor.<p>

How could he have been so foolish? Amia had given him clear instructions to make the lives of those around Tamli as miserable as he could, yet he couldn't even kill all the new dragonets of the hybrid's daughter. He clenched his teeth, barely restraining another scream of anger as his gaze flickered down to his bloodied hand. The wound would heal within time but his attention was held on other matters than how he could fight without his dominant sword arm. Another spasm of rage gripped him and he braced himself against the wall he had punched, cringing as tremors racked his body. All of the clones had been warned of the difficulties that had tried to prevent their creation, and the problems they might have had to face as memories inherited from Tamli flashed through them and revealed their power at the expense of opening emotional connections to the vast majority of lives that the Original rider had interacted within during his life span. Many had fallen into despair and misery over the ache of losing the two hatchlings from his first clutch with Finca, while others had become fixated on making Finca as much a part of their lives as possible. Only a select few had overcome the dangers of the first several months and had lasted long enough to meet the Original and his dragon face-to-face, most of those dead now except for him. Even the name of the Original's dragon meant little to him anymore, a true sign that he finally overcome the emotional ties to any individual that had met the spawner of their life.

Dragonsbane finally relaxed his tense muscles as the throb of raw power faded, the only remaining drawback to him from the cloning process used to create him. He was glad one of his fellow copies had been brave enough to give Tamli the vial, otherwise he would have never been able to slip into the underground tunnels so easily. It was not his fear of Finca that prompted him to start the fire inside her cavern but it had been his worry that the Original would know who had spawned it immediately upon entry. Taking and cloning the sword had been for his own protection, else the hybrid come after him for payment for the deaths of the two hatchlings. A sense of peace enfolded him and Dragonsbane stepped away from the wall, closing his eyes and collecting his thoughts. The change in the area was instant as thick mist swarmed in and blanketed the cave with heavy vapor, the white fog answering his probing inquiry over whether it was the shell-less power of Corruption.

**Indeed I am, ill-begotten copy of the great Pure One**, a deep rumble from within the thin cloud-like substance responded.

_You call me a copy of the Pure One, is Tamli who you speak of? _He asked, remembering that the magic had promised him a reward if he at least disrupted the natural peace of the underground tunnels where the cowards that dare oppose the power of Corruption hid out.

The air compressed slightly around him as if the dark presence was enraged at the question. Dragonsbane quickly readied himself for the worst it could give. He had been trained under harsher circumstances than simply being toyed with by a magical fog.

**Learn your place, Tanui**, the magic of Corruption commanded, pressing in upon him the name Amia had given him as a way to separate him from Tamli. **I may have promised you a reward upon my return if you did succeed in disrupting the peace within the Compound's tunnel system but . . . You actually accomplished something? Impressive, young wielder of darkness.** **Despite the faint connection I still have to the frail shell of Narssia, I will honor the promise I made to you. Find a dragon and let a bond form between you both, then return here and bring the newly linked one with you for the true test of the dragon-human mental connection.**

_As you wish_, Tanui muttered as the vapor slowly faded away and he was left standing in the silent cave once more by himself. He had to find a dragon hatchling now, and he knew where to start looking for one to fit his needs perfectly.


	35. Ill Bonded Pair

**Chapter 35-Ill-Bonded Pair**

Tamli's gaze burned brightly as he stared at Raoul, straining to remember all he knew about the illegitimate child he had fathered with Nethial, a union that neither his nor her parental figures had known anything about due to the secrecy he had impressed upon the mother of his son. He wanted so much to speak with the teen over why Raoul had not aged past his seventeenth year of life, yet he silently figured it had to do with the magical skills of his hybrid nature joining together with a normal human to create a joint piece of life that reflected both of them. Indeed Raoul did resemble both Nethial and his father through both looks and mannerisms. Tamli would give his son that much credit. His son's black hair was shoulder length and the identical purple irises mocked him with their warmth and carefreeness as opposed to his which were clouded by misery and pain.

"You know about him?" Dhran asked as he pushed Tamli's hand off his mouth, causing the amnesic hybrid to direct his attention to the man who had hardly given him any time to rest since Finca had begun her return from the lab once more with Raoul to help him regain his memory.

"I wouldn't?" He mocked, smirking as Raoul gave a resounding chuckle of equal amusement. "He is my son, Dhran. I know all there is to know about him. Where is Finca though? I want to thank her for bringing him back to where he belongs."

Airu stood up and glanced around before extending a hand to Tamli. "I'm not sure. Maybe Sitedal would-"

"No!" Tamli hissed, forcing himself to sit up and shoving Dhran's hand away, eyes flickering with untapped rage. "Never bring up the name of that traitor dragon. He tried to claim I was the one who killed his two hatchlings. I could care less about those little ones but he needs to learn his place."

"I agree, father," Raoul added, briefly locking eyes with Tamli as Airu watched with disgust over the family bonding.

Tamli forced a smile as he struggled to position his weight so he could stand without further damaging his shoulder or putting too much pressure on his injured leg. His limbs trembled as he tried to push himself up by using his good arm and leg, only to fall back onto the ground panting for breath. The realization that Amia had done more damage than he had first thought came to him as he steadied his breathing and looked up at Raoul and Dhran, his gaze pleading for their help as he was unable to accomplish the task alone.

"I never wanted this to happen," Tamli muttered as his own son pulled him to his feet, "I only trusted Amia because I had no one else to turn to. Call it stubbornness but I couldn't make myself accept that I, a lonely and frail human, was the mate of a dragoness as powerful as where that got me, a shoulder I cannot even use and a leg nearly unable to support my weight."

"Did Makiar look at you?" Airu asked as he moved to let Tamli brace himself against him while Raoul stood behind them as a backup if something went wrong.

"I doubt, but I don't know. Most of the time I spent with her I was unconscious and wouldn't remember even having her look me over. I suppose she did because this wrapping of my wounds looks similar to your own, Airu."

"Shouldn't we find Finca?" Raoul asked as Dhran took a step forward to make sure he could support Tamli's weight.

Dhran sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Taken care of," he grumbled a moment later as he reopened his eyes. "She's in one of the underground cells although why she's down there I don't know."

"Sitedal, I'm certain it's his doing. That fear-user had gone too far this time," Tamli muttered, clenching his good hand out of anger.

"Father, can't you heal your wounds?" Raoul questioned, surprising Tamli to the point he let loose a low growl like that of a beast before he caught himself and blinked, shaking his head.

He hadn't meant to sound so . . . dragon-like. Maybe the memories he had brought up while with Amia were right after all. But how was he even able to be a dragon if all he knew was what he experienced on his own two feet? Yet another question he would have to ask Finca about when they rejoined each other.

"If I could, Raoul, I certainly would to save me from further agony. Now, Airu, where is Finca?"

"I will take you to her," Dhran muttered, beginning to walk as Raoul followed closely behind.

* * *

><p>Tanui slipped quietly back into the dark underground system in search of the dragon hatchling he had failed to kill. He figured it had to be either with its mother or with its father, a dragon who should have been embracing Corruption's darkness instead of trying to fight against its behind a column as two dragons moved past him, Tanui silently listened in on their thoughts.<p>

_. . . Did you hear about what happened to the remainder of Verdra's clutch?_

_No. Why?_

The first dragon snorted. _Two were brutally slaughtered while in their shells as they started to hatch. She's started to spread the word to stay clear of Tamli. _A low growl rose from within its chest. _That hybrid monster, what I wouldn't give to put him in his place . . . I can only sympathize with her over the loss. _

_Did you see that little one she had with her? _The second dragon hummed, flickering the dark blue tip of its tail.

_I did_, the first dragon, a dark green female with brown underscales, growled softly._ He's adorable and so brave, considering he barely survived the murder of his fellow nestlings._

_I hear Verdra say his name was Ladetis. What is it? _The green dragoness had halted and her gaze had turned to where Tanui stood hidden by the column's shadow.

_Nothing_, she snorted, directing her attention back to the light blue with dark-blue underscales female._ I just thought for a second that I smelled something out of place, a scent that seemed to be of shadows and darkness but I suppose I imagined it. Should we inform Makiar of this development of that monster's character?_

_I believe so, Kuris._

_Very well, I shall be off. Best of luck to you in your new role as a mother, Rena. _

Rena snorted, tapping the end of her tail on the floor under her. _Best of luck to you as well. When both of our clutches hatch, should we let them intermingle?_

_I see no harm in that. Now I must find Makiar._

With that both she-dragons left and Tanui was able to breathe a sigh of relief at not being discovered by either of carefully ventured back out onto the main path and pondered over what he had overheard. Ladetis was the hatchling's name and it was with Verdra, spreading the word to stay away from Tamli. A slight grin crept onto his features, brightening his reddened eyes at the thought that Amia would be pleased to have known that Tamli was already losing the respect and loyalty he once held through a series of most unfortunate acts. Tanui tightened his white cloak around him and made sure its hood was over his face, masking him from all he had no interest in destroying at the moment, before heading off tothe location he had ravaged during his last visit.

* * *

><p>Once Dhran had helped Tamli to find Finca, the hybrid and his dragon returned to their cave, accompanied by Raoul as the man supported the weight of his father. Tamli sagged against the wall as they entered, sliding down the blackened wood and placing his head in his hands. Raoul watched with caution as Finca scanned the room, snorting in disgust after a moment.<p>

_Someone has entered our chamber that I am not familiar with; the scent is foreign to me. Raoul, do you know of anyone coming in here?_

Raoul shrugged before leaning against the wall opposite his father, Finca between them. "Not that I know of but I didn't even know where this cave was when you brought me in to see Tamli. It is possible that someone could have entered but I wonder why . . ."

Finca turned her head to the entrance of the room and hissed, directing her attention at a figure clothed by a white cloak with a hood. Raoul could make out the red eyes and mentally informed Finca of his discovery. Her low snarl made it clear to him that she had heard and now knew who it was that had interrupted them.

_The last of the clones ventures forth from its deserted lab to rear its pitiful head. _She took a step forward toward Tanui. _Do you know the damage you've caused? You're nothing but a failed creation of Amia and Misery. No one can clone what my mate-of-soul-and-mind is, no one!_

With little emotion showing on his face, Tanui drew back his cloak and pulled out the black-pommeled red-jeweled sword he had copied from Tamli's rider's blade. Finca snarled louder and crouched, her belly touching the floor as the tip of her tail twitched in eagerness to start a fight between them. Tanui ignored her display and glanced at Tamli who had been driven to see what was going on by Finca's actions.

Tamli frowned then, as realization came to him about who it was that was angering his dragon, glared at the man, mentally whispering to Raoul to help him stand. Once he was on his feet, the original blade he wielded slid into his hand by instinct and his right hand curled around it protectively. One glance at Finca and she backed away slowly, unsure if he could handle the pressure of being on his feet for so long. A low hiss from Finca caught Raoul's attention as he backed away to stand by her side and he looked at her before his gaze was redirected to Tamli. White light circled the hybrid and the wound to both his leg and his shoulder were being healed by the flowing power that was radiating from the man.

"Bring it," Tamli taunted as he gripped his sword tighter, swinging it up and pointing the blade at Tanui.

The clone growled and rushed forward, passing his blade to his left hand as a spasm of pain jolted through his right at being moved, only to be matched by Tamli with a defensive block. Sparks flew from the two swords as clone and original backed off and came back together, the metal locking together right in front of the men. Raoul observed with a calm gaze how his father fought against one as skilled as Tanui, impressed by how the weapon was used by both hands as either offense to attack or defense to block a strike. The original hybrid withdrew first and lashed out quickly. A lightning fast slash that was blocked by trembling hands as Tanui slid back from the force of the strike. The clone pulled his sword up and brought it back down, the blow nearly hitting Tamli but it was blocked with only seconds to spare.

A few moments later Tamli dodged a lunging stab by Tanui and twisted his sword downward, driving it in the side of his foe before ripping it back out. The copy screamed and dropped his blade, hands going to his bleeding side as Tamli raised his sword to come down on the man's neck. A bellow from Finca snapped the rider back to his senses and he lowered his sword to the ground before glaring at Tanui, pained as the man was with the weapon slicing through a good chunk of flesh.

"Leave or worse will come to you." The command was spoken gently but Raoul knew the underlying threat was much more severe and would cost Tanui his life if he lingered much longer.

Tanui glared at Tamli through his pain and angrily slammed his sword back into its sheath as he stood and pressed his right hand against the bleeding wound between the ribs on his left side. "Fine but this isn't over. The days of the pure dragon race ruling over everything are coming to a close. You better decide what side you're on."He halfway turned to leave. "And I hope for your sake it's the right one."

A few moments later the clone had left and Tamli tore a piece of cloth from his robe, using it to wipe his blade clean. Finca snorted and lightly bumped her snout into his back, eager to discuss what they were going to do now with Tanui's threat hanging over them.

"I don't know," Tamli admitted as Raoul sat down on the floor, Finca laying down and curling around behind him. "I won't choose between my natures despite what he said. One half of me is dragon and the other is human, choosing one over the other is a path I will not go down unless there is no other choice."

"Father, I was thinking about something while I watched you beat Tanui."

"What stirred within your thoughts while you observed the fight my son?"

"Well, it's something Dhran talked with me about while you were still unconscious. He said that, and I hate to repeat this while you are here Finca, she hasn't been right in the head for years. Is that true or is what she told me real?"

Finca hissed, slapping her tail on the floor. _Watch it hatchling. Airu is not in a place to discuss my mental condition with his future wife expecting their first child in a matter of months. But to answer your inquiry, my words were true. _Raoul started to speak up but a low growl from her silenced him. _Yes Tamli did have no other choice but to agree to Amia's wishes and leave the city, thus leaving Nethial and you unclaimed by wedlock. However, if anyone had tried to seek a relationship with your mother, Attor would have scared them off as he and I knew her heart was always for your father. _

Tamli watched his dragon as her words resonated with him, somewhere deep within his amnesic mind stirring to life another memory flash . . .

**. . . His vision blurred by tears, he hugged a thin teenage girl, her shoulder length black hair swept up into a bun and held by a string of pearls. Behind her a white dragon, smaller than what he recognized as Finca, although she was younger and less majestic than the dragon he knew now, as she stood next to an orange-eyed also white-scaled dragon. The two were nuzzling each other and finally the woman pulled away from him, reaching up to wipe the tears from his eyes.**

"**I'll be fine. The child will be raised with the best of care, Tamli."**

**With no more spoken between them, the girl turned and climbed onto her dragon, the beast giving Finca one more brief touch of contact between them before taking to the air as the thin rise of dawn gave the morning light a bittersweet feeling. Finca moved beside him and lowered her snout to where their eyes met, her massive yellow orbs connecting with his purple irises. A low mourning growl rose from within her throat and he patted her shoulder tenderly. **

"**The day comes, Amia is . . ." . . .**

The vision suddenly ended, leaving Tamli breathless for a moment as he tried to understand what he had seen. Who was the woman he had seen? Had it been Raoul's mother? He relaxed, opening his eyes as he realized he had closed them while experiencing the memory flash. Finca and Raoul both looked at him with concern and he attempted a slight smile to calm their fears.

"Another memory flash," he replied in response to the feeling of worry that was passed to him from Finca, her concern over his well-being warming him. "I saw . . . Raoul's mother and another dragon . . . one that was interested in you, Finca."

_Nethial and Attor, your girlfriend and the dragon she obtained thanks to you protesting that she was worthy of a Guardian_, Finca informed him, smoke rising from her nostrils. _Is that all you saw? I don't like to press the issue but I would like to know, love._

"It is all I saw but, why did I feel a drain in strength as soon as my sword slid into my hand before I faced Dragonsbane?"

"His name is actually Tanui, or so I heard while being held by them. I think that you called upon your aura and healed your wounds subconsciously," Raoul explained as he quickly glanced to Finca to make sure he was telling it correctly.

Finca snorted. _You fought as if you had never been struck with the damage Amia had given you in payment for all the evil he claimed you caused to come upon him after your first meeting, I am proud of you._

"My wounds are healed then?"

_Your fighting was a test of that and it appears you have been restored to the condition you were before Amia took you to the lab._

"I see. Raoul, can you tell me more about yourself? Of what I do know, it is only bits and pieces, nothing complete. I would be honored to know more about you and about your mother since I apparently was the reason she got a dragon in the first place."

Raoul smiled, sliding across the floor to go sit beside his father. "Of course, I would be happy to tell you all about Mother and I."

* * *

><p>Tanui walked away from the room, angry at himself and at Tamli as he pressed his injured hand against the wound the hybrid had given him. His sword fighting had been at its best but what enraged him the most was that he had been beaten by the person he was a clone of, despite the limitations of Tamli prior to their battle. Amia had managed to weaken the former rider but, by using his aura Tanui guessed, the damage had been healed to even the odds. He was ashamed that he was defeated by a man with no memory, a person who was only a shell of his former self. A sigh escaped him and he quickly hid behind a column as he heard the sound of approaching dragons.<p>

From down the hallway that had Tamli's chamber built out of it, two dragons ventured the way he had been going. One of them was black with purple eyes, a female he assumed by its lean shape, while the other was much smaller and barely rose to halfway up its leg. Its scales were white and its irises were a molten topaz from what Tanui could see. He felt an attraction toward the little hatchling, despite the fact that he had murdered its fellow nestlings to inflict misery on its parents.

_Young one? _He asked as he sent a probing thought toward it, curious to see if it might respond to him.

Ladetis squeaked and turned his head toward the column, coming to a stop as Verdra glanced over at him. A low growl rippled from her and the hatchling lowered his head, starting to move once more by her side. Tanui grumbled softly under his breath and pressed the thought harder, doing his best to prevent attracting the attention of Verdra. The dragonet came to a halt again and glanced in his direction, bringing a faint smile to Tanui's lips.

Tanuifocused, struggling slightly to send another thought toward the hatchling. _Come here. _

Verdra blinked before nudging her hatchling with her snout, trying to get him to continue moving with her. Ladetis squeaked in protest and pushed his way past her, venturing over to the column where Tanui stood hidden by its shadows. The she-dragon growled softly and lightly tapped his flank with the tip of her tail, trying to bring his attention back to the task at hand. Tanui watched as the dragonet ignored the motion and finally made its way over to where he was, resulting in a sharp hiss from Verdra before she turned to pick him up by the nape of his neck.

A flash of metal split the air between son and mother as Tanui stepped out of the shadows and held his sword even to protect Ladetis. Verdra first snorted in confusion then realized who it was and roared in anger, concerned over her child being so close to who she thought was Tamli. The newborn dragon fanned its wings out and turned to face Tanui, curiosity felt by the clone as the hatchling's mind touched his.

_Ladetis_, Verdra warned. _Step away from him. He caused the murder of your siblings. He might have tried to kill either me or your father next, or even Seraphina._

The dragon barely flickered a glance at his mother before Tanui felt its scaled snout press against his right hand as it still pressed tightly against the wound Tamli had inflicted on him. He gasped and took a quick look at Ladetis as the hatchling looked up at him with warm eyes. Its mind was open to him; they had bonded without him having to harm the dragonet's mother.

_I trust you. _The voice was deep for a dragon of its age, yet Tanui knew that the outward appearance of a dragon's size meant nothing compared to its mental voice.

"You should find that he is no longer speaking with you," Tanui whispered softly to Verdra, lowering the hood of his cloak, "and that I am not Tamli Dragonsbane. To find out who I am, ask your mate, if you're brave enough."

Verdra's harsh snarl was enough to bring out a faint grin onto Tanui's face but Ladetis's soft snort diminished the joy his rider had over the female's disgust. A gentle mental nudge from the newly bonded dragon returned the clone to the fact that he was now like his original in more ways than he had intended. The emotional bond between the dragonet and himself was already becoming stronger, leaving Tanui with doubts as to why he should make Tamli's life miserable.

_Master? _Ladetis growled softly, his tone questioning but not harsh. _Should we not venture out of here before Father sees you?_

It took Tanui a moment to understand his dragon's words but finally he nodded and re-sheathed his sword, letting his gaze linger on Verdra for a moment. Her frame was modeled much after Finca's: the same drawn to a point snout, the long graceful tail. He wondered why she brought out the good in Ladetis's father as the dragon was a gifted fear-user and heir to Corruption's power upon Arxa's death.

Tanui sighed and motioned for Ladetis to follow as he turned and started back down the path he had come from, determined to leave before Sitedal found them. _I suppose you're right. Having the anger of your father on me wouldn't be pleasant._


	36. Fighting the Future

**Chapter 36-Fighting the Future**

Narssia raised her head, daring to look at Raxmon as she finished explaining all he needed to know between their two time frames. She felt guilty for having hidden the knowledge for so long but it had been in his best interests that he and his family remain in the dark about the horrible turn of events that would bring out the monster within the she-dragon he knew as his mate. He was silent for a time, taking in all she had mentioned to him but eventually he spoke, the words strained and threatening to crack as the emotions the golden dragon felt slipped into his telepathy.

_She needs to know this. If what you say is true then . . . _He paused, glancing out the cave's entrance. _Then we have only hours left. _

A shallow growl was her reply as the black she-dragon lowered her head, struggling against the sorrow that bubbled up from within her at the thought of having to witness the death of the beloved beast once more but from a different perspective. Raxmon snorted and Narssia flinched as she heard the sound of him unfolding a wing, which one she could not tell as she had closed her eyes. The thin membrane draped over her frame, causing her to blink and focus her attention on the gold dragon as he gazed at her, eyes shimmering with brimming tears yet with a look of resolve and acceptance.

_Come what may, I'm ready_, the golden beast hummed. Narssia snorted, appalled at his optimistic attitude.

_What about Jormundur? _She asked, realizing that both grey dragons were expected to return as soon as nightfall began.

Raxmon blinked, his green irises narrowing with worry. _Go and find them. Sitedal and Ryta are within the cave and _she _will leave to hunt soon. _

Narssia hesitated, barely turning to face the entrance. A plume of smoke rose into the air from her nostrils and the golden dragon growled softly. Her worry was impacting all of them, she realized as Raxmon glanced back inside the cave to be assured that the other two young dragons were there.

_Go, Narssia_, he hissed faintly, snapping his jaws together as he did so to further emphasize his point. _Return with the two greylings while I keep an eye on my mate._

A soft growl rose from her throat. _You think you can pinpoint the exact moment when she switches? When she goes from loving mate to cold-blooded monster? I've been that Raxmon! I know the feeling of losing everything in an instant. You go and find the two, I'll keep an eye on her._

Raxmon snorted in disgust but didn't argue back, instead spreading his wings and taking to the sky. Narssia watched him go then turned and descended back into the darkness of the cave and of the mind set she had held during those times, back to a place she dreaded but was needed to keep those alive that she loved. She hoped Jormundur could understand her reasoning for not coming to get him, having to prepare for a night of terror and mentally steeling herself for the first signs that Arxa was revealing her presence within the land.

* * *

><p>The bellow of returning dragons startled past-Narssia from her sleep and she raised her head with a low growl. Narssia, the broken forme of herself from the future, walked past and she snapped in warning. Despite the circumstance, the black mind-broken dragoness did not reply in any way and returned seconds later with both versions of Jormundur and Raxmon. <em>Raxmon<em>. A fury pounded in her head as she gazed at the dragon she had come to know as her mate. Why had she given herself over to everything she knew was wrong? Placing her life back into the control of Corruption's power was stupid, she should have known better, but it was too late to change anything. Mirage was dead, her own rider was dead, there was little keeping her from falling back into the darkness that she had tried so hard fighting against her entire life.

_I'm going hunting_, she announced to no one in particular as she stood and stretched her wings, feeling a slight chill come over her but figuring it was simply a draft from the winds outside.

Her frame writhed with anticipation as she plunged herself out into the sky and roared in eagerness over getting something to sink her teeth into. Unknown to her, her future form left moments later, staying close behind yet far enough back so she wouldn't sense the time-traveled she-dragon. The wind brushed against her scales, sending shivers up her spine. Something felt off, like everything she knew was about to be changed. A growl rippled from her throat and she shook her head, trying to move past the feelings of unease while she let herself mentally scan the forests below for life.

* * *

><p>Narssia backed off, veering back the way she had come from as she watched her past self descend into the forest below and go after prey to feed her family. She could feel the rage building within the young she-dragon's mind; it wouldn't be long until the switch was flipped and Arxa was let gaze lifted to the sun, as it had begun its slow descent into the horizon, and a low growl rose from deep within her throat. As much as she wanted to change the course of history and save Raxmon's life, she had to let it happen as it had if only to protect those she cared most deeply about as they meant everything to her.<p>

She hissed and flew back to the cave, recalling the hunting trip that only let loose the darkness she had held so long inside. Her past form knew nothing of the danger she was about to let out, a force no other dragon could contend against due to its ferocity. Sorrow welled up inside her at the thought of how she had tried so hard to make Ryta understand this after the brave dragoness had given everything to break her free for only a few moments. Corruption's might had been most displeased with this and had lashed out at her with every ounce of strength it possessed, a feeling having been most unpleasant to her weakened body and mind.

Raxmon greeted her joyfully upon her return but she brushed off his enthusiasm with a low snarl, eyes flickering with untapped rage as she folded her wings against her frame and moved deeper into the cave. When the golden dragon asked how his mate's mental state was she turned to face him and roared, threatening to injure him if he didn't leave her alone. Watching him back away, seemingly hurt by her angry rebuttal, Narssia lowered her snout and gazed at him with sympathy in her fierce irises.

_I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you but . . . _

Her head jolted up, fear running cold through her veins as she felt the familiar tendrils of Corruption's influence creep slowly into her thoughts. Raxmon's worried growl brought her back to attention and she found that Jormundur had walked up beside the gold beast, his yellow irises clouded with equal worry and confusion.

_Is it time? _He asked softly, motioning with his tail to the entrance of the cave as the first hints of the coming night had begun to trail shadows about the cavern opening.

Narssia eyed her time-mover son steadily then turned her gaze to Raxmon. _Yes, we must be ready for anything. I fear I may not be as much help as I had originally thought with . . ._

_The darkness is invading your mind as well, isn't it? _Raxmon's deep growl resulted in a soft one from her, her gaze flickering back to her son.

_Raxmon, should I go ahead and tell the little ones to fly away from here?_

A fierce roar from Narssia ended the discussion as her emerald eyes bore into the topaz irises of her son._ Do not change the events of the attack. It made all of __you stronger, and it particularly gave Ryta a reason to seek me out later and try and rescue me from the shadows of Corruption. _

Jormundur growled softly in agreement and lowered his head, trying to regain the once peaceful atmosphere of the cave. _As you wish, mother._

_How much longer do we have until it's time? _Raxmon snorted as a plume of smoke rose from Narssia's nostrils.

_A hour, maybe less. I can't get an exact time as it happens so . . . _She paused, glancing at the golden dragon. _Her return from hunting sets everything into motion. _

Raxmon snarled softly but said nothing in reply as Narssia turned her attention to the darkening sky outside. It was hard for her to keep a firm grasp on her emotions, particularly her anger and rage as those always led her down the same dark path her rider had once tread hundreds of years before her hatching. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Jormundur lean his head in towards the golden dragon and a slow sigh escaped her. He had loved the majestic beast the most out of her two sons, and had been the most devastated once the dragon had met its ultimate demise by her fangs.

A low hum filled the air and Narssia quickly backed up, feeling the air around her charging with static energy. There had been no rainstorm when she had killed Raxmon, that much she knew with utter clarity, so why would one come now? Perhaps it was payment for the interruption of the time frame Jormundur and her had caused upon their time travel? She shook her head, snarling quietly, and searched the cave's interior until she found the calm eyes of her son. The yellow irises mocked her with their inner peace and comfort, yet she knew he was also afraid of the events to come with Raxmon's death looming on the horizon.

'**_There was no storm when he was killed in our time_**,' Jormundur muttered softly to her mind alone as she returned her attention to the outside world.

'**_I agree, much has changed since the 'Night of Shadows' as I know it as since it was the downfall of myself and the rise of Arxa. Do not inform Raxmon of this as he will likely suspect something is wrong and question us further, something I would hope we could avoid if at all possible_**.'

Narssia laid down, her emerald eyes darkening as the light began to fade from the open environment before them. As her tail curled around her left hind leg, she felt a change in her past form, a ripple of anger that was more powerful then she expected. Her eyes opened wide and a low snarl rose from deep in her throat automatically, prompting glances from the two males which she ignored as worry over the situation caused her to stand.

_She comes._

* * *

><p>The low hiss of electricity building up in the clouds meant nothing to the younger version of Narssia as she hurried back to her cave, angry at herself and bitter at the herd of deer that had scattered upon her loud descent, Finding the prey had been easy but with so many to choose from she had gotten . . . <em>overexcited<em> and had announced her presence with a fierce roar, sending the group of plant-eaters into a mad frenzy to escape her powerful being. A badly timed lunge had sent her rolling along the ground while the deer she had tried to throw to the earth had dashed off, kicking wildly as its four hoofed feet carried it as fast as it could go while all she could do was watch as it fled from her.

She roared out in rage and threw herself into a spin, manipulating the wind around her to speed up her progress towards her home. The doe had been right in front of her but she had been so blinded by the ease of the kill that she failed to stop and consider all the possible outcomes before making her plunge onto the land. It made sense now why she had missed her target and sent it cantering away with the others while she collided with the soil and dirtied her gleaming scales with the filth of the ground-dwellers domain. Anger rose again within her and she opened her maw without hesitation. Instantly a blast of black fire stormed from her jaws and trailed across the sky, leaving in its wake a smoky line where the super-heated energy had torn through the darkening sky.

Despite the failure of her initial catch, Narssia had been able to find a weakened young buck and wrestle it to the ground, splattering her ivory white claws with the crimson blood of her victim as it refused to give up its life without a fight. The animal had been mangled badly by her fangs and talons but it would serve well as a meal for her youngest since the brown dragoness was not at her best for some reason. Clutching the deer firmly with her foretaloned legs, the black she-dragon rose slowly into the sky and was so involved in her own thoughts that the first clap of thunder startled her enough to make her snarl and throw a blast of fire at the rolling clouds above her as their darkening grey surfaces mirrored her own mind. For some reason, the entire trip had made her angry, not just losing her prey, although that had nearly brought out a raging inferno from her maw just to get back at the flighty mammals.

As the sky above seemed ready to crackle with energy, the black dragoness spotted her cavern and flapped her wings harder, positioning the outer edges closer to her frame should lightning strike. She felt a change within herself seconds before a jagged bolt of charged water vapor rushed for her and dived down, narrowly avoiding getting hit by the powerful current. The wind whispered to her softly as she turned her head to see how far the thunderbolt had gone down, startled when she realized it had ultimately struck a tree and blasted the bark apart, leaving a gapping split straight down into the trunk. Avoiding another lightning bolt, Narssia folded her wings tightly against her and called upon the wind to give her a lift. Her reaction to the motionless wind was a fierce snarl before she forced herself upwards and barely set foot inside the rock structure before another boom of thunder resounded in the distance.

* * *

><p>As she noticed her past form nearing the cave moments before the thunderstorm had started, Narssia had slipped back into the shadows, instructing Jormundur to do the same as she watched with dread over what was going to happen as soon as the young darkness user set foot inside the cavern. Jormundur growled softly and Narssia was intrigued to see that Raxmon kept his distance from his mate as she finally entered and beckoned her children to come to her side. Ryta bounded to the dragoness moments later while the other two hesitatingly followed after their sibling but still stayed a good distance away as they lingered near the gold dragon. The deer was offered to the brown dragoness and she gladly picked it up and immediately went to a corner of the cave to begin work on devouring the meat.<p>

The younger versions of Sitedal and Jormundur reluctantly joined their sister as their mother started toward Raxmon, Narssia holding back a snarl as she clearly saw the fury radiating from the young she-dragon's eyes. Raxmon appeared to have not noticed as he joyfully greeted her and led her further inside where the weather would not bother them. A quick glimpse at her time-traveling son showed Narssia the pain he was trying to hide as he stared after the golden dragon and almost uttered a low mourning growl before he caught himself and lowered his head.

_My mate_, Raxmon growled as Narssia cringed with agony over hearing him elaborate on calling the two a pair. _What troubles you? What causes you this . . . distress? I've never felt your emotions this strongly before._

He had finally led the black dragoness over to a dry spot in the cave and both seemed content with the location, their bodies laying next to each other as he rested his head on her back. Narssia quickly flickered her attention to Ryta and her siblings and found the two males busy cleaning their claws while their sister was finishing her meal. Jormundur crept up beside his mother and she nudged him gently with her snout, wanting to open her mind to him to soothe his fears but worried it might disrupt her past self and the gold dragon that had only minutes left alive.

The younger Narssia snorted, smoke rising from her nostrils. _What do you think is wrong Raxmon? _She hissed, startling both her future form and Raxmon, as the male lifted his head from her frame and gazed at her with confusion. _A storm just blew in and I almost got fried, is that good enough of an answer for you?_

_I . . . The storm isn't my fault but I suppose it did endanger you._

_Endanger me? _The dragoness snarled, eyes flickering with a slight whitish tint. _If I hadn't let the wind guide me, there would have been no meat for Ryta and I . . . Well, you get the point. Other than that, I'm fine. I mean, sure my hunt didn't go as smoothly as I had wanted it to but no harm done to me._

Narssia edged closer, finding herself drawing back into the darkness that she had believed she had left once Jormundur had taken both of them to the past. They had changed the time line some as there had been no lightning storm during the original hunt. She just hoped Raxmon wouldn't freeze up and confess to the weakened and nearly overcome by darkness dragoness everything he knew, if that happened then she probably wouldn't get out the cave alive as it would turn almost all of the dragons against her and her time wielding son. A return nudge from her youngling calmed her some but worry still crept into her thoughts as she continued to watch the scene unfold before her.

Raxmon snorted, amused almost by the way his mate was trying to keep a calm exterior. _There is something else bothering you, isn't there? You can tell me, you know that by now._

_No. I can't talk about it, not now._

_Would you deny me a chance to guess? _The golden dragon asked as he nuzzled her and their tails wrapped together.

_Raxmon, now is . . . _She caught herself and shook her head, not before the two future dragons saw a brief glimpse of the monster they knew as Arxa come out once more as the she-dragon's irises flashed to being murky for a split second. _You wouldn't guess right anyway, it's not something I ever told you._

**But it's something I did**, Narssia mentally corrected as she held back her feelings of anger, sensing it would force her into nearly the same position her former self was going through.

Raxmon growled softly, drawing back his head. _Fine, just tell me when you're ready._

A shriek from Ryta broke Narssia's concentration on watching her past form and her gaze flickered to the brown dragoness. Sitedal had snapped up the last bone she had yet to crush and was breaking the ivory fragment into nothing more than splinters just to show he could, a trait that brought the darkness-bringing emotions back to the forefront of her mind for the damaged she-dragon. A low hiss from Jormundur returned their attention to Raxmon and his mate.

_You wouldn't understand, no one can. _Narssia felt sympathy towards the young dragoness, ashamed at herself for having wanted to injure it as soon as possible after their first meeting. _Not even my rider knew what was going on . . . _

As if an icy film had dissolved from her mind, Narssia felt the full rage of her prior being storm throughout her frame and she was certain Jormundur sensed it somewhat as he glanced over at her with a fearful gaze. She wanted to stand and roar out, to save the life of the golden dragon from his fate, but her muscles refused to move and she could only watch as the darkness of Corruption sprang to life inside the time-differed dragoness.

_Tell me Raxmon, how important is one . . ._ She leaned in towards him, their snouts nearly touching _. . . delicate . . ._ Her head snaked around behind his neck and positioned itself just above his shoulders _. . . life?_

The lunge and brutal snap sent shockwaves of agony through Narssia and at last she was able to stand, roaring out in anger. She mentally conveyed to Jormundur to take the hatchlings away immediately while she held off the newly created Arxa in the body of her past self, despite messing with the time frame. The grey dragon silently did as asked and she watched him lead the younglings away before turning on Arxa and letting loose another roar.

_Monster_, she hissed as the two dragons slowly began to circle each other, Raxmon's body laying between them. _He was an innocent dragon who never deserved that kind of fate. You killed your own mate!_

_I know_, Arxa snapped back, swiping out at Narssia as she backed up to avoid the blow. _He earned it as soon as he started to work alongside you and that time-mover son of yours! _

Horror and anger instantly replaced any sympathy she might have held and Narssia let out a burst of flames from her maw, only to have Arxa halt them in their tracks and send the blast back at her. The flames stung her nostrils and eyes but the enraged dragoness ignored the pain and leapt forward, smashing into the dark presence and sending them rolling along the ground. As she claimed top position, the Corruption-controlled dragon snapped out at her, forcing Narssia to find another way to weaken the evil that had consumed her younger self. Sending a blast of fire straight into her attacker's chest, Narssia was able to roll away and get back on her feet before the other dragon could manage to shake off the blow and attack her again.

Lunging once more at the dark version of herself, Narssia hurled her foretaloned leg into its face and threw it to the ground, its body landing right at the entrance to the cave, Realizing her options were limited, the still standing dragoness spat another fireball toward her foe before rising onto her hind legs and letting loose another roar. Arxa stumbled back onto her feet and Narssia rushed to meet her head-on, locking horns with the beast that had given over itself to Corruption's power.

Eventually as they shoved against each other, Narssia noticed that her strength was starting to wan. She had given everything she was capable of but she would see to the destruction of the monster before her even if it took her offering her life to rid the world of Corruption's most dangerous pawn. With a snarl, she jerked back and let her rage convert to energy for her flames, scorching Arxa severely before the servant of darkness could move out of the way. Her clawed forepaw rose again and Narssia heard the resounding snap of a bone breaking as she poured all of her emotions into her fighting, determined to give every bit of strength she had to beat the monster that had chained her within herself. Arxa was flung back onto the ground and laid sprawled out at the entrance to the cavern again and Narssia, although in the back of her mind she knew the reaction was wrong, leapt toward the injured dragon to finish things off for good.

Halfway there, she realized the dragoness had merely lain like that to encourage the jump, but it was too late to stop her roaring spring toward Arxa. Narssia tried to grasp out with her claws to catch hold of something but suddenly felt a stab of pain driven through her body from her abdomen, resulting in a wailing shriek as she closed her eyes, knowing the dragoness had lashed out with its hind taloned legs and thrown her forward and off the edge of the cliff. A similar blast of pain radiated from her wings but in the heat of the moment Narssia ignored the new possible wound. She tried again to grasp for anything and even tried to spread her wings but the instant the thin material was rustled, another jolt of paralyzing agony all but crippled her resolve to escape. A low snarl rippled from her jaws and she forced herself to open her eyes, glaring up at the entrance to the cave as she dug her claws into the rocks around her to slow her descent. Arxa sat just barely inside with a humored expression lingering in her dark irises, a mocking stare that only increased the fury Narssia felt toward the specter. With a bellow, the time traveled dragoness opened her jaws, expecting the fury of her flames to blaze forth, but blinked as the crackle of electricity arched up the rock formation and zapped the corrupted she-dragon with enough voltage that Narssia felt exhausted after the display of strength. Where had she gotten electricity from? She briefly thought back to her first kill under the name of Arxa, before Corruption's power had become involved. He had been an electric dragon, hadn't he? Maybe that was the reason for the wrathful skill she had displayed towards the dark dragoness.

Barely holding onto the stones with all of her strength, Narssia hissed as Arxa gazed at her once more before turning and disappearing inside the cave. Her energy was gone, her resolve was fading, there was nothing she could do anymore. The darkness had won, again, despite her best attempts to fight against it. Jormundur had to be miles away from her now, carrying out the order she had given him. Sparks flew from the crumbling rubble as she lost her grip and began a sharper descent to the land below, startling her so much that she spread her wings wide and then roared in agony as tendrils of pain seared throughout her body in protest to the movement.

Narssia squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to see where the fall would take her as she drew into a tight spin, hoping for more speed to end her miserable failure attempt at saving who she had been from the darkness she knew all too well. **I failed**, she bitterly thought before she slammed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust as she slid to a stop. The moist earth around her soothed her slightly but not enough as she found the strength from within herself to raise her head and examine her surroundings for enemies. Other than the grass and the sounds of a flowing brook, she could see nothing that looked like it might attack her. She snorted softly and lowered her head back down, digging her claws into the earth as her thoughts turned to her son and how he was holding up since the attack.

The sound of flapping wings broke Narssia from her thoughts moments later and she wearily raised her head to see the outline of a dragon circling above her mangled frame. She snorted, straining to see who the beast was, but quickly realized it wasn't Jormundur. He had either abandoned her or followed through with her request to keep the younglings of her past self safe. As if the creature above her had heard her thoughts, a deep rumble resounded through her mind.

_Peace, young one. _

Narssia snorted in amusement. Peace? She was as much at peace as she could be with having failed to prevent Arxa from being formed. Raxmon would never have had to die if she had only been stronger and more used to fighting the darkness that knew her heart so well.

_I see you have no verbal response to my statement, yet your snort clearly reveals your feelings on the subject. _The mystery dragon paused for a moment. _Forgive me, I forgot you were deeply injured. I suppose I should take you back to my cave and treat your wounds._

_As well you should_, Narssia hissed before she passed out.


	37. Divine Instruction

**Chapter 37-Divine Instruction**

The first thing Narssia noticed once she regained consciousness was that she was now laying in a cave. She heard the sound of dripping water but couldn't pinpoint its exact direction, instead focusing her attention on the smooth worn-down rock before her forepaws. Coming so close to killing Arxa but ultimately failing fueled her with so much rage it was all she could do to keep her gaze on the rocks and listen to the steady drip of liquid from deeper in the cavern. Her thoughts dwelling on the missed attempt for a swift destruction, she briefly looked up, seeing a mass of pale white scales sitting close to her location. A distant ray of sunshine broke free from behind the dragon, briefly breaking her concentration on the strange creature, but a snort from the new beast brought her focus back to what was before her.

_Who are you? _She asked with a low growl, forcing herself into a sitting position and wrapping her tail around her left hind leg, trying to shift her thoughts away from her failed attempt to kill Arxa.

_You should know well who I am, youngling_. The dragon, Narssia could be sure of that much due to its method of conversation, mentally sounded much deeper than its coloration would have suggested. Its deep grating tone echoed long after it had finished speaking, annoying Narssia who hissed out of resentment.

A plume of smoke rose from her nostrils at the statement, once she had gotten over its voice and the odd aftereffect. _I do not know you_, she hissed, narrowing her eyes to better get a glimpse of the dragon.

With a sigh, the white beast uncurled its long form and turned its head to her, having originally concealed its eyes upon her awakening. Upon seeing the eye color of the scaled creature, Narssia involuntarily let out a startled hiss. The left irises was a glorious topaz while the right one reflected the shadowed magic of Corruption with its lime green coloration. Obviously confused by seeing the distinct trait of her long-dead master, the black dragoness arched her neck and sniffed the newcomer, barely able to detect any sign of a scent from her distance.

_You bare the eye colors of . . . someone I knew a long time ago_, Narssia remarked as the dragon watched her carefully, its eyes following her every move as she finished trying to identify it and laid back down, grasping onto the rock floor under her as a spasm of pain jetted up from her wings.

_As well I should_, the mystery dragon snorted, further confusing Narssia as she growled softly in response._ _Let me explain then. __The white scaled creature stood and stretched its wings, its dual colored eyes gazing at her with complete calmness. _I am the one you know._

Narssia blinked, too stunned to speak as she let the information sink in. Her rider, her master was alive. But how since he had been ripped apart by Meta before she went and killed the former darkness user herself as payback? She stared at the dragon for a moment longer before somehow finding the words to made sense of her conflicted thoughts on the subject. The possibilities were endless as to why he had come back, but she cared little about the detailed process to restore one who was dead back to being a live creature, instead minding only faintly that he had returned in her time of need.

_How? He was, I mean, you were killed years ago. For you to return now is . . . _

_I can assure you, young Narssia, I am him. The ancestors gave me a second chance to help you out once you ventured to the past with your son. I stayed hidden until Corruption's magic burst into full effect and then went after you, only arriving too late to help you defeat the darkness within the past forme of yourself._ Narssia snorted again in confusion, nostrils flaring at the brief mention of Arxa._ _Call me Windra now, while you know me here. My old name is useless in the presence of the darkness.__

_Windra . . . Does Corruption's power know you're back? It might come after you and . . ._

Windra growled softly, flicking the end of his tail._ _Nonsense. It wouldn't dare come within three miles of my location, especially with you here._ _

Narssia blinked, staring at the dragon she had thought for so long was dead. How had he been given a second chance to rejoin those that were living? She growled softly, shaking her head. Nothing of his words had she heard as her attention was focused solely on his long, lanky form as it stood blocking most of the sunlight from entering the cave. His irises, although slightly altered by his transformation, brought back so many memories to her of their brief time together as a dragon and rider pair, yet also reminded her of the cruel way she had twisted his own magic against him and had ultimately used it out of desperation.

_Windra, I . . . Sh_e caught herself, struggling to control and focus her raging thoughts onto a single subject. _I need to know why you're back. You know as well as I do that my exposure to the darkness came as a result of our bond._

The white dragon lowered his head, releasing a plume of smoke into the air. Narssia almost felt sorry for having to be so distant from her former master but knew she had to get that off her chest. It had been because of him that she had even witnessed the terrifying power of Corruption, although she now regretted ever hatching for him. Had she known sooner what he could do, she would have never willingly chosen to be his partner of mind.

_I understand your reluctance to speak your mind_, Windra growled softly, his eyes lifting and glancing her way.

_I never . . . _Again she caught herself and studied him, letting her eyes drift over his muscular frame and finally allowing herself to gaze into his eyes completely without any restraint. _I just wanted things to be different between us._

Struggling, Narssia forced herself to her feet and walked over to him, licking his cheek. Windra snorted and drew back, confused by her behavior at first. Her wings burned as she stretched them out and lifted them high above them, ignoring the pain yet intrigued as he did the same motion and returned her lick. A confused glance from her was enough to allow the white dragon to take the action a step further and gently pushed her down onto the floor. The black she-dragon narrowed her eyes initially but soon realized his intent and reached up to nuzzle him.

Windra nuzzled her in return and Narssia placed a taloned foreleg on his chest as she pulled back, gazing deep into his eyes. She growled softly, _If I want anything to be guilty about for coming back to my past, I might as well feel guilty about this._

She lunged upwards and collided with him, their tails intertwining as a thin membrane of black and white folded around them, connecting the two separate dragons into a joined pair. Resting her snout on his shoulder, Narssia caught a raised scale in her maw and playfully nibbled on it as Windra flickered his left eye to glanced at her, the topaz iris rich with emotion. A strange warmth flooded the black dragoness and she hissed in pleasure, arching her neck and raising her snout to under his jaw. Low humming filled the air between them and she closed her eyes, letting his scent wash over her.

**_You don't need to feel guilty._**

Narssia blinked her eyes open and growled, surprised to find that Windra had let her hear his most private thoughts. She untangled herself from him and stood, glancing back at him with a mix of sorrow and dejectedness. The white dragon got to his feet, watching her as she lowered her head and closed her eyes, letting a stray tear fall to the ground as her wings folded neatly against her body.

_Narssia, I . . . _He stepped toward her but halted as she shook her head slowly, opening her eyes to reveal how changed she was since they had been rider and dragon. The pools of topaz that had once been so intrigued about the world now reflected back a feeling of dejectedness and solitude.

_Don't say anything, I already know. _Her eyes brightened some as she made herself look at him, despite regretting all that had ever happened between them.

The white dragon growled softly and hesitantly walked over to her, extending a wing out to cover her frame. _I would never willingly endanger your life. _He paused halfway to Narssia and folded the appendage back against his side. _Yet you despise me for all of this, don't you?_

Narssia averted her gaze, struggling to keep her emotions from coming to the surface. She would hurt him if he knew the truth, if he knew how much she regretted pairing with a human that had caused their ancient home to sink beneath the waves out of a lust for power. An elongated hiss escaped her and she briefly glanced up to find that Windra had closed the gap between them and was lingering near her left flank.

_I don't deserve this_, she hissed, glaring at him. _I wanted to kill you years ago. I wanted to make you suffer as you made the original dragons suffer back in paradise._

She expected him to snap back at her, yet he didn't. _That's not what your heart tells me._

_Why do you do that? Every time I've ever been mad at you, you've twisted my own words around and practically slapped me in the face with them. _Her eyes narrowed in anger as she bared her teeth._ _Stop doing it._ _

Windra gazed at her calmly. _And risk losing you?_

_No, but . . . _Narssia averted her gaze again, relaxing just faintly. Finally she hissed and turned to face him, stepping back to allow some room between them. _Stop. Just stop._

The dragon blinked but said nothing, apparently understanding her need for silence so she could focus her thoughts. Narssia stared him down, a low growl rising up from her throat as she trembled in anger. How had she come to being at war with her own former rider when he had done nothing wrong? She forced herself to take a deep breath and flickered her gaze down to the dirt under her for a moment.

_Tell me what it is that I've done wrong_, Windra commanded as his gaze remained steady on her despite how she had acted toward him. _I don't want to fight against you, Narssia._

She snorted, nostrils flaring as she returned her gaze to him. What was she thinking? They had just accepted each other back into their lives, yet she was already trying to drive them apart again. Her fierceness faded as she realized that she needed more from him, she needed a plan in order to return to her time and be successful in stopping the darkness.

_I need your help_, she confessed with a low growl as he snorted._ _I want you to teach me all about the darkness, about what it can and can't do. __Her gaze steadied. _I must be ready to face the deepest shadows if I have any hope of surviving the coming year._

Windra seemed hesitant at first but slowly made his way over to her. She could tell by his gaze that he was uncertain of why she wanted the knowledge, yet it only made her desire stronger to learn all that she could about the shadows which had wrapped themselves so tightly around her. He was the key to getting the information she needed to survive once Jormundur and herself returned to their present time.

_I will help_, he growled, _in any way I can, Narssia, yet something bothers me. You spoke as if you don't think you'll live much longer, why?_

A low growl forced its way from within her throat. _I feel the darkness even here, tearing at me and at my sanity. I can't stand much more of this torment. If I must, I will have . . . _

_Narssia_, Windra hissed, raising a foreleg in warning. _Never consider that option, promise me. It only brings you pain down the road if the attempt fails. But, anyway, I do what I can to help you out. I only want you to narrow down what you wish to be taught, otherwise we'll be talking for days._

Narssia snorted, pleased with his decision to help. Quickly she focused on two specific points she wanted to make sure she had complete knowledge about before going back to face what she had become. First, she wanted control over the rage that had, ultimately, settled deep within her, and second, she needed to master the use of her new darkness if escape would even be an option to her.

_Difficult topics_, Windra snorted as he lowered his foreleg back to the ground and then led her to the center of his cave, _yet I think we can deal with them at the same time._

A low growl rose from within her chest. _How?_

_Mastery over the darkness comes with control over the emotions it deals with, as you have no doubt figured out._ Narssia snorted, averting her gaze. _Or not. No matter, we will start at once then._

Windra spread his wings and lifted the appendages above his head, attracting the attention of Narssia who growled playfully. A flurry of static electric arcs danced across both her wings and she hissed, glaring at her useless wings with disgust. She immediately froze as she felt his presence enter her mind, its strength ramming into her with enough force to cause her to collapse. Forcing herself to remain standing gave the black dragoness a reason to fight against him and so she did, only to be hit by his tail as he walked past.

**_Embrace it_**, the same darkness her past forme had used whispered out to her, its mocking tone increasing her fury.

_Control yourself. _Windra's warning came as a surprise and startled Narssia, resulting in her losing her concentration and screeching in pain as her limbs burned with agony. _Find your center and focus on it._

Narssia hissed at the words but could do little else as her body was rigid with spasms of pain from all over. The strain of fighting Arxa was now taking its toil on her, she realized as more currents of electricity flickered over her wing membranes. Windra circled her, his gaze unwavering and cold. She understood now how he must have felt being used by Corruption's dark magic.

_I'm trying my best_, she snapped back, snarling as he hit her with his tail again.

**_Yes, that's it. Give in to your anger, your hate. _**

Windra growled softly, shortening his circles so that his tail was closer to her then before. Narssia held back a hiss, instead trying to focus herself on a central point, as the dragon had suggested. It was difficult for her to calm herself after all the years of malice and hatred tugging at her soul, but she gradually felt the shadows ease and her mind clear. A low approving growl from her tutor gave her hope and she latched onto it with all her strength, wanting to prove that she could rise above what had chained her for so long.

_Good, now search for the darkness within you and let its power run through you, but let your will chain its destructive energy. You control it, it doesn't not control your actions._

Narssia bared her teeth, closing her eyes as she felt Corruption's fury rise up immediately, giving her barely enough time to quickly subdue its raging energy. Her limbs shook as she gathered the dark powers she had gained from Arxa, bracing herself for the devastation she knew would be unleashed once the magic was let loose. She faintly heard Windra snort but she pushed the curious thought from her mind about how she might seem to the dragon before her, a ruined dragoness struggling to command the same might which had taken her over in the first place.

A low hiss from Windra caught her attention and Narssia blinked, barely catching the hint of a snarl on his usually calm features. She wondered why but disregarded her curiosity as a ripple of the darkness slipped from her grip. The angry growl from the white dragon confirmed that something had been struck by her accidental slip-up. Ignoring the feeling that she would only go downhill from that incident, she held tight to the magic, feeling it pull at her body's strength.

_Now, shape its power._

Her eyes flickered open as she opened her maw and concentrated all of the power into a funnel, directing the energy to storm outward at her command. Narssia instinctively dug her claws into the ground, temporally choosing to dismiss the sharp sting of pain from her talons in protest, narrowing her gaze onto the wall closest to her that Windra stayed far from as if he knew where she would aim the attack. Warm air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath, then let the darkness surge forth in one powerful blast, the shockwave enough to make her stagger. The cone-shaped energy strike slammed into the wall she had aimed for and, once the dust had settled from the collision, both dragons saw that a good three feet of the wall had been reduced to rubble.

_I'm impressed_, Windra confessed as he came up beside her, his eyes looking her over. _For a first timer, it's well-done. Narssia, are you-_

Her sharp, retaliating hiss proved enough to make the discussion end, much to her appreciation. She was exhausted, barely holding herself up as her taloned legs, and her entire body, trembled heavily. Yet she was proud of the attack, despite realizing he would expect her to do it again multiple times until it became as easy as second nature to her. The tip of Windra's tail smacked the floor, pulling Narssia from her thoughts as he gazed at her with equal concern for her health and eagerness to make love once more.

_I could care less about whether you think this is training me_, she growled venomously, uncaring if she hurt his feelings or not, _but I'm going to sleep. Goodnight._


	38. Broken Soul

**Chapter 38-Broken Soul**

Tanui slowed to a stop, placing his hands on his knees as he paused to catch his breath. It had been two long days of traveling on foot so far but he knew they weren't even close to getting to Arxa's cave. His hand was slowly getting better, although he had accidently curled it up into a ball right as they had been setting out for the morning, the pain barely letting him hiss out a stream of curses before he had crouched down and wondered whether it would be better for him to just cut the limb off and save himself anymore agony. Ladetis had butted in just as he had slipped out a knife from inside the robe he still wore, informing him that _it was unwise to slice off a valuable part of one's body_. Caring less about the remark, he had stood and flung the weapon into a tree, before grumbling to himself as he later pulled the blade out and returned it to within his cloak. Now his side had finally stopped bleeding during the night, and Tanui was grateful that he had let his dragon sniff the flesh wound before the hatchling had drawn its head back and breathed on the injury. Dragons, it seemed, had an innate ability to heal wounds with their breath, something Amia had failed to inform him of during his years spent in underground training for when he was to replace Tamli and kill the original.

_We cannot afford to waste much time here. _The deep bass tone of his dragon surprised Tanui at first, but he was calmed when the white hatchling clawed its way up beside him, its topaz irises observing him with a mixture of held-back concern and interest.

_Indeed. _Tanui was surprised by how quickly it became second-nature for him to communicate with Ladetis at a moments notice, something else that only made it more obvious he was a clone of the hybrid Tamli.

Ladetis snorted in mock amusement before Tanui stepped forward to resume their journey to Arxa's cavern. Taking an initial step, he cringed as a spasm of pain jetted up from his hand. He ignored the stinging sensation and took another step, only to fall to his knees. Searing pain burned through him, his head the central point of the agonizing misery. A soft snort from his bonded partner broke his concentration and Tanui glanced at his injured hand, only to scream as more anguish poured through him. Squeezing his eyes shut, the clone cradled his head in his hands, trembling even as his dragon tried to comfort him as best it could.

Realization slowly dawned on Tanui as he fought to not be overwhelmed by the pain, understanding the reason Amia had kept their purpose of existing a secret for so long. Plagued by his half-crazed mind, the clone desperately sought out his partner-of-mind, knowing he had to tell the dragon the truth before things grew too out of hand. As expected, the fledgling was skeptical at first but eventually understood the risk Tanui was taking to speak with it.

_Master, what ails you?_

Tanui gritted his teeth together, straining with all his might to overcome the only lasting side-effect from the cloning process used to give him life._ _I need to tell you something, Ladetis, and I need you to hear me out and not interrupt, okay?__

The dragon hummed, coming to stand beside his rider. _Good, I'm a clone of Tamli Dragonsbane. Amia Nekita made me with the idea he might conquer Tamli and the dragons of the Compound by using a cloned hybrid army, of which I am a part of, not by choice though. When we first joined, I realized everything I had been taught was wrong. I could live my own life outside of the role I had been created for, you showed me that Ladetis. But now I . . ._

_Tanui_, Ladetis growled, gently nuzzling the clone as he cried out in pain. _Why would I leave you? You're the only family I have now, seeing as my family was nearly destroyed by you in the first place. I have since made peace with your actions and I will stand by your side, whatever path you may go down._

A faint smile forced its way onto his face, but Tanui could care less about showing emotion. His dragon, the same one he might have murdered had its parents not come at just the right time to prevent him from killing all three hatchlings, was willing to stand by him through the craziness that would come to them. Despite his current agony, Tanui was pleased with Ladetis for speaking so boldly about something that had worried him since they had escaped from the Compound.

_Thank you, my friend._

The compliment was short lived as Tanui blacked out moments later. Ladetis stood guard over the unconscious rider, but stepped aside once several cloaked figures came from where they had been going to with the promise of helping the cloned hybrid. Following the robed men seemed the best option for the dragon, and so he did, all the while keeping an eye on his partner-of-mind.

* * *

><p>Tanui jolted awake, alarmed to find that he was strapped down onto a table by thick metal bindings. He frantically scanned the area around him, searching for Ladetis. There was so much more he had wanted to tell the young dragon, but he seemed alive at least from what he could tell. A large lamp hung above his containment and the clone squinted, barely making out the shape of something human before a voice spoke.<p>

"I see you've recovered rather well from the _incident _that befell you." The tone was similar to his own, if not slightly more crisp.

"Who are you?" He asked, surprised by how rough and ragged his vocal cords were.

The light was dimmed and Tanui blinked, adjusting his eyesight to the much softer blue light that gave the chamber some depth. He was clearly laying on a table against one of the walls of the room, as the other three walls where filled with large tubes big enough to hold someone his own size. Now that his vision was back to normal, he glanced around to find the source of the voice he had heard. At the edge of the table near his feet stood a near perfect replica of himself. Black hair cut short barely covered the man's head while his eyes stared eerily back at Tanui, their near-identical irises locking immediately.

"I'm surprised you failed to recognize me right away," the man smirked, laying a hand on Tanui's leg as if to reassure him that he was safe.

Tanui knew he wouldn't feel completely safe until Ladetis was right beside him but he played along, figuring he might find out where he was and where his dragon happened to be so they could escape and continue on to the cavern Arxa had used before she disappeared. He growled, straining against his restraints as he tried to force his way into the mind of the person standing before him. A mocking smile slowly appeared on the man's face as Tanui raged with every once of strength inside him to uncover where he was being kept.

_"There's no need to get all worked up, Tanui."_

He froze. The voice was from _his_ past, not Tamli's, but from when he was still new to being a clone of the hybrid rider. Amia had done nearly the same thing, chaining him to a table after he had passed out, mocking him and slowly tearing at his sanity. It was a wonder he had survived even that, but he was strong for being what he was. Relaxing, he stared up at the man, trying to figure out who the individual might be that mocked him so much.

"Gregal," he muttered after a moment, picking up on a small scar that ran the length of the man's chin and left a ropy red line zigzagging over the once smooth feature.

"Nice to see you've rejoined the land of the living, Tanui. Don't worry, your dragon's here and eagerly awaiting you."

"How do you know about . . .?"

Gregal smiled, moving over to work on getting the restraints off Tanui. "Because he invaded my mind and threatened to kill me if you didn't survive. I think he's been talking to that phantom spirit for a few hours once I assured him you would live."

"Phantom spirit? I don't understand."

"Well, she's particularly visible sometimes and other times she looks see-through. We're calling her that because of the trait, but she is beautiful. Black hair, twilight grey eyes, a muscular frame worth drooling over . . ."

Tanui tuned everything out past the part about the spirit having black hair. Was it possible that they had uncovered the soul of Tamli's former love interest as a human? The description sounded accurate enough but he needed further proof.

"Where is my dragon?" He asked, trying hard not to raise his voice even though he was starting to get annoyed.

"Well," Gregal muttered, breaking off the restraints slowly as if to draw out the conversation longer. "He was outside the room a few moments ago but now I'm not-"

Tanui ripped his freed hand away from the table and grabbed the fellow clone by its neck, pulling it closer to him. A fierce icy stare of determination revealed his motives as he squeezed harder, nearly bringing Gregal down on top of him. He would find out where Ladetis was or whoever got in his way would be killed.

"Tell me where my dragon is Gregal or I promise to make your life miserable."

Gregal squirmed, trying to get his hands around Tanui's as it held vice-like around his throat. The clone rider sighed in disgust and let his grip go, only to finish breaking free of the restraints himself. He jumped to his feet and reached for where his sword usually hung at his side. Discovering that the sheath was empty, he focused on the fellow clone as it recovered and backed away.

Launching into a full run, Tanui rammed into Gregal, knocking the man down to the ground. His hands automatically locked around the clone's neck again, with twice the power of his original hold. In his frenzied state, he failed to recognize that the door to the room opened forcefully, admitting the very individual he had been so concerned over finding the whereabouts of since he had awoke.

_Stop_.

The growl ran through Tanui like an icy jolt of realization. He removed his hands from Gregal's neck and stood up, avoiding the gaze of Ladetis as the hatchling stared him down. A flurry of emotions passed from his dragon and he felt ashamed for how his bonded partner had seen him since he had regained consciousness.

"Thank you, dragon," Gregal remarked as he gingerly rubbed his neck and got his feet, keeping far from the reach of Tanui in case the hybrid rider wanted to attack him again.

_I came at just the right time, I see. _Ladetis focused his gaze on Tanui, ignoring the rider's averted stare. _You knew better, Tanui. Had Nethial not alerted me to the danger, he would have died and you would have had more blood upon your hands. First my siblings and then nearly your own fellow clone._

Nethial, Tanui assumed it was her given the silent approach, appeared next to Ladetis, her arms crossed and her eyes barely wore a low cut black tunic with a grey belt, complete with black pants. Her hair still radiated the same blackness it had held millenniumsago during her youth in paradise, despite the untrimmed appearance. Violent grey eyes peered out from half-closed eyelids as she observed both clones before her attention shifted to Ladetis. Tanui could easily see she had some feelings toward his dragon, not surprising since Tamli had been part dragon since his birth.

"Nethial, is it? I don't want any trouble as I cannot explain why I went after Gregal in a frenzied state."

Her gaze flickered over to him but she merely said nothing in reply. Tanui collected his hands behind his back and turned his attention to Ladetis. The dragon ignored him for a moment before it allowed them to speak to each other in the confines of their minds.

_I'm sorry_, Tanui admitted, briefly averting his gaze again. _As I told Nethial, I don't know what came over me. One minute I was perfectly fine with being restrained and then-_

_You were restrained? _The surprise in his dragon's tone startled Tanui before he realized the hatchling knew nothing of what had happened after he had regained consciousness.

_I was, although I'm not sure why. _Ladetis growled, flickering the tip of his tail. _Okay, maybe I went on a similar frenzied state and they had to confine me to the table? _

Nethial shook her head, pointing a finger toward the tubes Tanui had seen on the three sides of the room. It was easy to get the message without words being spoken. There was something about her that made Tanui uneasy, something he couldn't put a finger on.

_One should not force another to give out information they wish to be kept secret, correct?_

The voice was not Ladetis's but still held a faint growl to it, a trait of the scaled beasts. Every eye turned to the entrance to the chamber and Ladetis let out a low hiss at seeing who stood in the doorway. Another clone, its hair speckled white and having purple irises, leaning up against the doorframe with a slight smirk. Before Tanui could do anything, Ladetis had turned around and leapt over to the second copy he had met. The dragon tore into the unsuspecting clone, blood staining its claws and fangs, even as its teeth shone with a faint green tint. No screams could be heard because the poor man had no time to even realize he was being ripped apart by a fledgling dragonet.

"Poison," Tanui muttered under his breath, watching as Ladetis splattered the once clean walls with droplets of blood.

Nethial glanced first at Ladetis and then at Tanui, seemingly interested in his reluctance to interfere and quell his dragon's rage. She muttered something inaudible, yet Tanui could tell the babble was directed toward Ladetis. He wasn't sure what she had said but he felt it might be better not to know.

"Why not stop him? He's as worked up as I am. This place does that to you," Tanui replied, motioning to Gregal who was massaging his throat and avoiding any glance sent his way.

Nethial seemed reassured by the answer, returning her gaze to Ladetis as the dragonet finished his bloody moment of rage and licked his jaws clean. Tanui chuckled, amused by the behavior as it so closely reflected his own following the murder of Ladetis's siblings. He had acted as if nothing was wrong, that was how he escaped the first time from the Compound. Leaving with the fledgling had been more of a challenge but he was still surprised Sitedal had not taken after them.

_Forgive me for that_, Ladetis snorted as he returned to his master's side, regret clearly visible in his expression. _As with my master's own experience, I had no control and merely lashed out. To lose another clone is a pity but I cannot say the deed was done out of pure rage . . ._

Tanui knew the hidden meaning behind the dragon's words, noting that Ladetis still held tightly to the family he had left, despite his words before they had come to where they were now. He figured the hatchling would despise him for his actions, yet Ladetis was gentle with him and refused to place blame on him even with knowing what had been done. Doing the same action again would be difficult now with the calming presence of his mentally-bonded partner by his side.

"You used poison during that encounter," Tanui remarked, addressing his verbal words toward his dragon so all could hear what he had discovered during the fight.

Ladetis snorted, glancing down at his claws. _Poison? How, since I have barely entered the world?_

"It's simple. He is a descendent of Arxa and Tamli so there's no telling what element the hatchlings might have possessed . . ."

Tanui couldn't bare to say any more on the subject. He still blamed himself for the destruction he had caused out of malice. Meeting Ladetis had shone unnatural warmth into his life, leading him to rethink the brutal double murder he had inflicted upon Sitedal and Verdra. Out of the darkness of that tragedy had come his poison-welding partner, the only one he could truly call a friend.

"I believe you are needed in Arxa's cavern, Tanui and Ladetis," Gregal commented, motioning for them to leave the room and continue their journey, sliding Tanui's sword into its sheath as they passed.

"Fine," Tanui muttered under his breath as the former rider's spirit led them out of the room and onward toward the darkness that had tore so much from what had once been a peaceful dragoness.

* * *

><p>Tanui stopped just outside the room, putting a hand on Nethial's shoulder to get her to stop. She glanced at him angrily, then her expression changed to one of confusion. Ladetis snorted, nudging Tanui to move on, but a simple remark within their joined minds convinced the dragonet to let things be.<p>

"You don't have to keep up the illusion, Nethial," Tanui whispered, giving her a soft smile of assurance. "How long have you stayed here by yourself?"

'**Years, and years, and years**,' she muttered, crossing her arms over her mid-section and shivering as if the temperature had dropped severely, which it hadn't.

_Do you know who you are? _Ladetis added, realizing his master's intent to get her to talk to them.

'**I am power, I am useless, I am broken**,' Nethial babbled as she erupted into mad laughter, sliding to the floor.

_The darkness has consumed you, broken you into frail pieces that cannot find a way of relief_, Ladetis hummed, reaching over to nuzzle her in comfort.

Nethial shrieked at the contact, sliding away from Ladetis as if he had hurt her. Tanui glanced his dragon and Ladetis snorted, glancing at Nethial with sympathy.

"Nethial," Tanui commanded, squatting down next to her as she brought up her hands to shield her face from him, "let us help you. Ladetis and I can work with you to restore what was once yours."

'**Never**,' she raspily hissed, revealing that her perfect-looking clothes had been another illusion she had created. Rags tied around her wrists, legs, and chest prevented Tanui from seeing most of what he recognized as large burns. How she had gotten them, he had no idea.

Ladetis growled, wrapping his tail around her leg. Tanui watched as his dragon locked eyes with the tortured former rider, realizing that she had been killed in the war between Corruption and the ones that wanted peace, over ten thousand years ago. If she had spent that length of time locked within the darkness, it was obvious what had happened. Rehabilitation would be much more difficult for her, possibly even unattainable.

'**You know nothing about me!**' She cried as Ladetis glanced back at Tanui and let loose a small puff of smoke.

"You died in the war to save our ancient home. Tamli held your body and watched it perish. I should know, I have his memories."

Nethial seemed to perk up somewhat, her attention turning to Tanui. '**Tamli.**' She trembled, lifting a hand to her head. '**It's been so long without comfort . . . without Attor's touch on my mind. I'm useless, I'm nothing more than a frail shell of who I once was.**'

_You hold secrets about Corruption we could use to destroy its control_, Ladetis snorted. _Tell us, what do you want most of all?_

'**Revenge**,' Nethial whispered, softly at first then her tone darkened. '**It took my mind, my link to everything around me. Darkness everywhere, unbearable silence . . . no contact with anyone.**' Her eyes focused on Tanui, the grey irises lit with an unnatural fire, something they hadn't seen from her since they had forced her to drop the illusion.

Ladetis hummed, standing between the two. Tanui managed a light smile, helping Nethial to her feet. Most of the skin she still had was blackened, either peeling away or barely holding on, hidden mostly by dirty bandages. He tried his best to ignore her wounds, realizing he would eventually have to treat them if they were to begin her recovery. Healing her mind would be difficult, getting her over her apparent fear of contact from Ladetis also had to be solved.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Tanui asked, placing a hand on her back.

Nethial quivered but said nothing, closing her eyes as she dug her fingers into her arms, releasing fresh blood that oozed down the blackened limbs. Tanui glanced at Ladetis, unsure of where to go, when the dragon hissed, turning its head back toward the direction they had come from. No words were needed to understand that Gregal was coming after them, probably still enraged over the brutal attack from Tanui.

_Hurry! This way! _Ladetis growled, leaping ahead as Tanui followed without hesitation, grabbing one of Nethial's arms and dragging her along behind him. Their path led them through twisting corridors and finally they came to an area where a small tunnel branched off of the main path.

Within moments, several pairs of hungry eyes shone through the blackness that had shrouded the hallway, on either side save for the offshoot. Tanui made the mistake of letting go of Nethial and, no sooner had he barely lifted his hand from her arm, she took off down the narrow path, shrieking madly all the way. Ladetis growled, crouching on the ground as both he and Tanui observed their enemies that hid within the shadows.

_Go and comfort her_, the dragon commanded, snarling as the eyes moved closer, nearly surrounding them. _I will fight for a way free. She needs someone there to help her regain who she was and you seem to be fit for that task._

Tanui shook his head, drawing his sword as he pressed tight to the dragonet's left side. _I'm not leaving you here, Ladetis. She'll need a dragon's help to conquer her tortured mind-_

_No she won't_, Ladetis contradicted, whipping his tail around in the space between them that led to the hall Nethial had fled into. _Now go!_

With that, several clones jumped to attack them, most of them springing for Ladetis. Tanui slipped past the ones that were trying to attack him and hurried down the hallway in search of Nethial, sheathing his sword as he did so. The hall opened into a circular room with several broken pillars of stone, making them perfect seats. The center of the room was lower than the surrounding area, the pit the ideal shape to build a large fire. Nethial huddled in the center, stroking burned-out coals to life as she alternated between fits of laughter and sobbing. Tanui realized this was where she had gotten the large burns from, self-mutilation for the damage within her mind. As she got the flames going, he took a step forward, only to send her scrambling back behind a pillar.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised, squatting down at the entrance to the room, twitching as he felt Ladetis get clawed in the face by a clone that had taken Tamli's dragon forme.

'**No**,' she spat, peering out from the column. Tanui chuckled, placing a hand out before him to balance himself.

He waited until she darted to hide against another pillar before he stood back up and walked to the center of the room, kneeling next to the roaring blaze. "There's no danger to you," Tanui assured her, trying to coax her out into the open.

Nethial hesitated before slowly inching away from the broken formation of rock, keeping an eye on him while she neared the fire. Through the flames that helped to cast light on the dark rocks, her grey eyes seemed lit with insanity, something Tanui realized might be the case. He briefly wondered how Ladetis was faring in the fight, ashamed he had left the dragon to deal with the twenty clones that had tried to ambush them.

'**Victory frees me. But these . . . chains . . .**' Nethial snarled, lifting a hand to her head as she closed her eyes. '**The chains are the easy part. It's what goes on inside that's hard**.' She descended back into another fit of hysterical sobbing.

"Then you must work harder to eliminate them." The voice wasn't Tanui's, in fact he barely had time to register that knowledge before Nethial lunged at him, knocking him to the floor as she ripped his sword free from its sheath, back on her feet in seconds with her eyes open and alert for danger.

Craning his neck, Tanui caught a glimpse of white hair and red eyes, a clear sign that one of the clones had escaped Ladetis and had come to kill both him and Nethial. He rolled onto his stomach, glancing up as he saw Nethial drive the copy backwards with a fierce blow that nearly broke the imitator weapon her foe wielded. She inched forward, shifting her hold on the metal as she switched to a backhanded grip, something he had never seen before used by anyone other than what Tamli's memories revealed.

'**Liar**,' Nethial hissed as she threw herself at her enemy, sending him into a wall as she pinned him there with her right arm, her left holding the blade she had snatched from Tanui.

Tanui watched as she twisted her wrist, plunging the steel into her victim's chest even as he cried out for mercy. Nethial gave the metal a twist to make sure he was dead before she ripped the blade free, letting the body slide down the wall and land in the debris left by the rocks around them. Somehow, she still had that ability to kill ruthlessly, a skill all riders had possessed with varied accuracy. Even with the memories in her mind distorted, her muscle memory was incredible.

He forced himself to his feet, watching as she knelt near the still warm corpse, lifting up one of its arms. "You aren't going to eat it, are you?" He asked, worried she might have become cannibalistic during her long exile.

Nethial snorted, chuckling slightly. '**No**.'

"Good, I was worried," Tanui admitted as she put the sword on the ground and started to unwrap the bandage on her left arm. After a while, she tore the fabric off, retying the material back into place, and picked the weapon back up, using the dirty cloth to wipe the blade clean of blood.

'**Here**,' she muttered, passing him back his blade, the metal as smooth as when he had copied it from Tamli's own sword.

Tanui accepted the sword, sliding it back into place in its sheath as Nethial turned from the dead body to the fire, gazing long into it before her gaze briefly rose to the entrance of the room. He heard the sound a moment before she looked up and he halfway turned, watching as Ladetis slowly came in. The dragon's fangs were bright red with the blood of his foes but long scratches marred his once glistening scales. Four particularly deep claw marks had bloodied the right side of his snout and teeth marks lined his neck, his scales deflecting most of the stronger bites.

'**He will send more**,' Nethial remarked as she returned to gazing at the fire, Tanui walking over to place a hand on Ladetis's shoulder.

_I knew I shouldn't have left you all of those to fight_, he admitted as the dragonet snorted softly, the wind from the exhale tossing his hair around and leaving it speckled with drops of blood.

_You did what was right_, Ladetis hummed, gazing down at Tanui before shifting his attention to Nethial._ _You seem better, healthier than you were_._

'**I am**.' Her reply was bitter, leaving Tanui to turn and cross over to where she stood. He was about to place a hand on her arm when he noticed she was unwrapping the bandage on her right arm, revealing fresh, normal looking skin that seemed out of place with all her burns. '**This is the truth**,' she growled, giving him a brief glance out of the corner of her eye. '**I may have been . . . alone for many years but some of who I am remained, prompting me to wait until someone came who I felt worthy to help me. Hear me out, poison-wielder Ladetis and cloned hybrid Tanui, I want one thing. Help me find my dragon, the one I lost at my bodily death. I will help you then defeat the . . . shadows**.'

_But your mind_, Ladetis argued, _isn't it still damaged? Do you even know what your dragon's name is anymore?_

'**I remember, deep inside**,' she replied, holding the cloth she had taken from her arm, dangling it over the flickering fire. '**Will you?**'

"We shall," Tanui answered after a moment. Nethial sighed out of relief and dropped the wrapping, letting the hungry flames devour the thin fabric. "I promise you, we will help."


	39. Fragile Composure

**Chapter 39-Fragile Composure**

A gentle pull of her wing broke Narssia from the sleep she had so richly treasured. The training the day prior had been difficult for her but she knew deep within her heart that Windra only meant her the best. Rolling onto her side, her topaz irises found his mismatched ones and a low growl rose from within her throat. She had feelings for him, she would admit that much, feelings she never had known existed until he had come to her as a dragon. Despite the large gap between their ages, she still figured it was safe enough to consider the idea of a relationship between them.

_I see you're awake_, Windra teased as Narssia got to her feet and stretched, letting a plume of smoke from her nostrils.

She growled, advancing to where he lay beside the wall she had blasted a large size chunk of rock from the night earlier. _Only because you woke me up. I was having a perfectly fine dream until-_

Windra stood, nuzzling her as the contact stunned her into stopping her thought and enjoying the moment between them. Finally she withdrew and motioned for him to follow her outside the cavern walls. She had not seen the exterior of his cave since she had been unconscious when he had brought her to his place out of fear for her life following her failed attempt to kill Arxa.

_A hunt is what you wish? _Windra inquired as she led him further to the entrance of the cave, her tail stirring up some loose dust from the floor.

_Can I prove to you that I know how to defend myself?_

The white dragon snorted. _Certainly, Black One._

Narssia hissed and turned, springing on him and throwing them both to the ground. She playfully nipped his shoulder then growled as he shrugged her off and got back onto his feet. With dread looming over her, she forced herself to stand and watched as Windra averted his gaze and lowered his head, raising a wing to prevent her from coming to his side.

_What is it? _Narssia growled as her mentor lowered his wing moments later and hissed sharply as if in pain.

_It seems your son is not as skilled as you, or either he didn't know I had rescued you from Arxa . . . _

_He went after her, didn't he? _She hummed, fearing the outcome she felt all too well would happen. Jormundur might have been her son, but he wasn't as cunning as she had once been at the highest time of her power before the darkness had come back into her life.

Windra snorted softly, causing a gentle swirl of wind around them. _I'm afraid so._

_And what of Jormundur? Is he . . . ?_

The white dragon shook his head, leaving Narssia to come to her own dreadful conclusion. She had lost him, lost the only way she could return to her normal time. Letting him flee with the hatchlings had been a plan destined to fail from the very beginning as he would have naturally returned to join her in the fight. Now she understood why she had instructed her time's Sitedal to flee with Ryta, knowing that Jormundur would stand his ground until his sibling returned to help him defend all they had once stood for until the darkness had descended upon her weakened frame.

_No_, she growled, gripping the floor with her talons._ _I should have been there, I could have helped him. He never deserved to lose his life fighting against something only I could combat against, something I helped create. __A tear slid down her cheek as she closed her eyes and twisted her head away from him.

_You were too injured, Narssia. If you would have left my care and fought, you would be dead. Is that what you wanted? To end up dying only to realize you can't change the past?_

_Windra, I . . . I don't care anymore_, Narssia hissed, opening her eyes as anger gripped her. She roared and spread her wings, ignoring the pain that flowed from them.

Avoiding his attempt to make her change her mind, she leapt past him and broke out into the sunlight, taking to the air. She would find Jormundur, alive, or else she would go after Arxa. Failing once had altered her mind set on how to approach the fight, she would emerge victorious this time or the land would finally lay claim to her broken body.

* * *

><p>Pale sand first met the sight of the grey dragon, a clue that he had survived the encounter with Arxa. He had feared the dark spirit had killed Narssia but there had been no sign of her being anywhere nearby when he had gone after the former body of her past forme. Facing Arxa had taken everything he had, but it hadn't been enough. Raising his head from the grain under him, the dragon blinked his yellow eyes, recalling the very moment when she went on the attack and tore from him one of his forelegs. The initial pain had stirred him to throw her back with a cyclone of wind but eventually the blood loss had been too much for him to continue the brutal assault.<p>

Jormundur twisted around so that his hind legs were under him and pushed himself up, wobbling unsteadily on his three taloned legs while his body adjusted to the realization that he had lost a limb. He wanted to find Narssia and assure her that he was fine, yet he feared traveling anywhere right now with the loss of his foreleg so fresh in his mind. It seemed that he could hope she would find him and lead them both to safety or else both of them were doomed to die.

Straining his head upward at the sound of what seemed like wing beats, Jormundur was stunned to see that Narssia had come to find him. He growled, sending up a funnel of wind to let her know it was him and moments later she landed right next to him. A flurry of emotions passed from parent to child and Jormundur realized how much she had feared him dead.

_So your former rider is now a dragon and saved you from dying after you confronted Arxa following your order for me to keep the hatchlings safe. I can't believe it . . . Is he still the same?_

Narssia snorted, brushing her snout against his shoulder._ _As much as he was on the day of his death. I never thought I would see him again, but now I cannot imagine having left him for dead years ago . . .__

_It wasn't your fault, mother; you followed your heart and went after Meta for revenge against her killing both your rider and the first dragon you ever loved. I would have done the same thing in your place._

She hissed and shook her head._ _I acted without rational thought and was emotionally wounded. Losing him and Mirage dealt me a savage blow I thought I would never have to experience again, only to kill Raxmon and witness my own descent into the deepest shadows. I'm a horrible parent to you . . .__

_Being chained by darkness does not make you a horrible parent, mother. You provided for us as much as you could, given the circumstances. I'm sure Sitedal and Ryta would agree with me on this. _Narssia growled, averting her gaze._What is it?_

_Ryta denounced me after I let Arxa loose in the gorge at the end of the same meadow where I fought my past forme. I never wanted this for either of you, you know that deep inside._

Jormundur hummed, nuzzling her for comfort as he thought over all they had discussed. He could hardly imagine how quickly she had been forced to grow up when her very partner-of-mind was taken from her. Losing the one she had loved had also changed her, he realized somberly as Narssia rested her snout on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Could he be that brave and endure the torment even when everything he knew and cherished was violently snatched from his grasp?

He gazed at her broken frame and uttered a low growl, wanting so much to hold her like this for the rest of their lives. Seeing her this torn apart broke at him and made revenge against Arxa seem even sweeter of a goal to reach toward. Remembering that he had once hated Narssia for everything that had gone wrong in his life only made the moment more touching, yet also a symbol that the true test lay before them upon their return to the present time.

_I promise you_, he whispered softly, his words completely from the heart, _we will get free of this place and return to Sitedal and Ryta. They will welcome our return and then we will destroy the ones that have tried to hurt us._

_And if they don't? _Her question, and her solemn tone, surprised Jormundur. _What can we do that they haven't already heard or seen? By now I fear they are fully entwined within the enemy's grasp, fed lies by those that do not see things our way . . . _

Jormundur sighed as Narssia drew back her head, his gaze watching her with all the fear he knew had reflected in her own when Arxa had killed Raxmon before them both. _What can I say to make things better? _He paused, glancing down at his missing limb. _I saw a place you might like as I flew to safety between sessions of unconsciousness._

_Did you? I would very much like to see it, if you are in any condition to fly. Sh_e motioned toward what had once been his right foretaloned limb, pulling out a appalled snort from him at her suggestion that he was unfit to rejoin the air so soon after what had occurred.

_You doubt my flying abilities?_

_What I doubt is your common sense_, Narssia hissed in reply, fanning out her wings and cringing faintly as electric arcs danced up from both of the thin appendages.

Another snort, this one of amusement, rose from within him without his realization. _Point taken, mother. Now lead the way._

_I shall_, she growled as she forcefully flung herself into the open sky, followed seconds later by Jormundur as he tried not to dwell on the loss of his foreleg again.

* * *

><p>The flight to the location Jormundur had seen took its toll on Narssia. Her wings still burned with pain at every flap but she pushed herself to keep up with him. Everything they had discussed kept nagging at her mind, particularly Jormundur's promise that they would seek revenge on the ones that had tried to hurt them. She wondered how he knew of that, given that she had made it a point to never bring that up around any of her offspring. In truth, she was also plagued by worry over Windra. Leaving him as suddenly and as angrily as she had, she feared he might be furious with her if she came back to him with her son.<p>

_Where are we going? _Narssia hissed, barely managing to prevent her agitation and tiredness from slipping into her tone.

_Relax, you"ll know when we're there._

Her snort of disapproval sounded her feelings on the subject. Jormundur was keeping her in the dark about where they were going, something he had never done before. Yet again, he was taking the lead and showing her where to go. Deep inside her heart she was proud of his leadership, but also fearful.

_Ah, there we are._

The utter calmness and self-assurance Narssia heard come from Jormundur was enough to cause her to look his way. Before him lay the very peak of a massive waterfall, the sheer force of the water crashing down catching her attention. Liquid streams of clear, condensed vapor started at a single point, then broke apart and cascaded down multiple rocks before rejoining to free-fall into the beginnings of a lake farther away.

_This is what you wanted me to see?_

Jormundur snorted, smoke rising from his nostrils as he glanced back to her. _Impressive, isn't it?_

_Words cannot describe its beauty. _She quickly glanced at him. _You flew over this last night?_

_I did, more or less conscious._

Narssia snorted, growling under her breath. Her gaze was still transfixed on the glorious waterfall before her. Part of her wanted to stay and be with Jormundur, while the other part reasoned that Windra might be in danger and that she should return to him.

_Can we go to it? _She finally asked after a moment of internal conflict.

_Of course_, Jormundur hummed, gracefully gliding down, leaving her to trail behind him.

They landed on a narrow outcropping where they could both feel the power of rushing water and also see its might flow past them. Narssia glanced at the flowing substance and snored, turning her gaze away. If she thought too hard about it then it reminded her of the twisting vapors of the dark magic she had failed to tame within her. Jormundur nudged her lightly, pointing with his tail to a spot where the water fell right over the cliff and continued its way down the mountain-like rock formation.

_Jormundur, I . . . I can't. _

He glanced at where he had dictated then back at her, the youthfulness of his age brightening his topaz irises. _What's wrong? _He asked as Narssia moved to stop beside a solid portion of the cliff, her eyes clouded with multitudes of differing thoughts.

_It's nothing you've done, son. _She lowered her head, pressing her horns against the rock before her._This place is beautiful, it really is, but I'm just . . . concerned over something._

_Or someone? _Jormundur teased. _He'll be fine. Look, I'll go with you to check on him if you want._

Narssia snorted, raising her head just enough to lock eyes with him as she turned her head in his direction. _You think this is a game? I lost him for many moons, I don't intend to have that happen again!_

_Yes mother . . ._

Jormundur's attempt at meekness did little to satisfy Narssia. She had held onto her anger for too long for one dragon to calm it down. Now she would see to letting it loose. It didn't matter to her in the moment that her own son would be hurt by her actions.

_You think you know me? You believe I'm a good dragon, full of caring and gentle words. Let me tell you the truth_, she hissed, the malice of her tone arousing concern within Jormundur, _nothing could be farther from that misconception. I've always been an outcast, a dragon loathed by others simply because of who my rider was. Losing him, changed me, opened my eyes to the truth that the world is heartless and evil. _

She turned to face him, raising her head back to normal height. Her eyes, once looking defeated, now gleamed with malice and rage. Jormundur instinctively drew back, glancing around for a way out. Leading her here had not been so she could unleash her anger at the world on him.

_I grew tired of everyone treating me like nothing! I struck back, calling on the same darkness my rider had once used to get my revenge. I regret nothing I've done! _She roared viciously, the noise echoing the same emotions she felt deep inside. The sound split the air, leaving a faint reddish ring visible for a few seconds before vanishing. Thick waves of blackness rolled off her scales, her eyes turning white as she let the darkness take over and use her as it wanted.

Jormundur located the same area he had pointed out to her moments before and ran toward it, only to be stopped by a fierce gale of wind. He turned back around to see Narssia advancing on him, her eyes lit by the same evil she had once given everything to fight against. Only now did he realize she had no control over when Corruption consumed her, she was a puppet to the darkness to use as it wished.

Narssia lifted a taloned forepaw and pointed it toward Jormundur, her personality completely erased by the darkness at least until she managed to get her emotions under control. Her claws gleamed with a blood-red tint, the color making him think of Sitedal's fear element. She advanced, crouching until her belly rested on the rock under her. The position clearly meant she would spring at him, or so he thought.

Right as she started to leap forward, a sphere of purple energy hit her directly from above where Jormundur stood. He glanced up as Narssia crashed to the ground, her talons scraping for purchase on the uneven rocks. Above them hovered a white dragon, its eyes each a different color.

_Windra_, Narssia croaked out, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him with rage and loathing._ _Leave this place.__

The dragon snorted, snarling softly. _I won't leave, you need this._

A sharp hiss from her was her only response, giving Windra an opportunity to blast her again with another sphere of purple venom. Jormundur watched with interest as she was hit over and over by the toxic matter, realizing that the element was a type of poison rarely used or even seen since the ancient days of their past.

_Stop_, Jormundur growled, noticing that her body was now trembling and jerking violently. _You're hurting her._

_I realize that, youngling, but this is the only way to purge the darkness from her. Her survival depends on how strongly she wants to be free and if she even knows the way back out into the light._

Narssia shrieked, losing all control over her body as she felt a bone snap. Instantly she quieted, still trembling, but slowly fading into unconsciousness. She wanted freedom from the pain . . . freedom from the darkness . . . freedom . . .


	40. Beyond the Mirror

**Chapter 40-Beyond the Mirror**

Dhran slept soundly, holding onto Aurelia as they lay together in mutual slumber. He had been up nearly a full day talking with Sitedal and Verdra and their plans for going to search for Ladetis and bring him back. Deep inside, however, Airu reasoned that the dragon they might have watched come into the world was no longer pure, given who it had bonded with. For now he was happy being where he was, with the woman who would become his wife and the mother of their child in a matter of months.

Aurelia snuggled against his bare chest and he gradually brought himself back to his waking thoughts, tightening his grip on her as if she could somehow vanish from his arms. She was wearing the band he had made for her all the time now as a symbol of their love until the wedding, which he hadn't even begun to plan yet with the war going on. He hoped she would not have to have the child during the conflict but he would be by her side no matter what.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear, brushing a strand of her hair out of the way so he could lightly kiss her cheek. She mumbled something inaudible and he chuckled, resting his chin on the top of her head.

_You'll do fine in parenthood_, the soft chime of Seraphina's voice echoed out to him, despite her being down the hall from where he was.

He sighed, kissing the top of Aurelia's head. _You place so much trust in me, why?_

_I would not if I knew you couldn't handle it. Like your ancestors, you hold a tremendous amount of power when it comes to responsibility and respect._

_Thank you, I needed that._

The warmth in her tone soothed him, driving away the doubts he had held onto since Makiar had confirmed Aurelia's pregnancy. _While my mother never knew yours, Finca was close to Tronay. Talk with her about your fears, I'm sure she can help._

_What would a dragon know about giving live birth? _Dhran asked humorously, cradling his fiancee gingerly as he glanced over the spare objects the room had. There was a bed and a small table, with a door leading to an adjacent bathroom. Cherry oak wood had been used for the bed frame and the table, with regular pine being the type used for the doors.

_I will come later to see you. Father is insisting I learn the basics of flying today and I would not want to disappoint him._

_Alright_, Airu muttered, disappointed that Sitedal was keeping her from him when she was his bonded partner._I'll see you later._

_Tell Aurelia I'm thinking about her_, Seraphina hummed before Dhran unwrapped himself from his love and got up out of bed, heading toward the door to the bathroom. His feet were bare and the only article of clothing he had on was a pair of black pants. Aurelia had wore only slightly more to bed than he, not that it mattered since he had no interest in proclaiming his right to her any more than he had already.

He heard her begin to stir and stopped at the edge of the bed, placing a hand on the satin black sheets. "I'll be back," he promised, realizing she was waiting for an answer as to why he wasn't in bed with her.

"Don't take long," Aurelia whispered, curling up into the sheets as Dhran took a long look at her before leaving the room.

He closed the door gently and quickly scanned the room. Other than a toilet, a shower, and a sink with a mirror above it, there was little to see in the same room he had proposed to Aurelia in while she was still young in her pregnancy. Crossing over to the sink, he placed a hand on either side and hung his head. Who was he kidding? He couldn't be a father, not when he had still so much more to learn and see.

Slowly he raised his gaze to the mirror that hung over the sink, observing how sleep depraved he really was and seeing the beginnings of a beard along his chin. His attention turned to the white bandage that wrapped most of the right side of his face and he glanced down at the sink for something to use to unwrap the cloth. A pair of scissors lay just out of his reach but he went and grabbed them anyway, lifting them up to the bindings and beginning to cut through the two day old fabric.

As each strip fell to the floor, Dhran saw the blotchy red of healing cuts and the blacked and charred skin that still remained. He wondered why Makiar hadn't taken the rest of his burnt flesh off and then wrapped the wound. With each piece gone, Airu realized how deeply he had hurt Sitedal and Verdra by bonding to Seraphina. Halfway through, he put the scissors down and hung his head, bitter tears collecting in his eyes. Seraphina didn't know the pain he felt each time he looked at her, the brief thought that maybe another dragon might have survived if she hadn't been so selfishly hatched.

Gathering his courage, he raised his head and finished the job, trying to not flinch every time he caught a glimpse of the mangled skin left behind by Sitedal or happened to brush against a healing cut that oozed pus. When he got to his eye, he was extra careful with the wrapping but he couldn't prepare himself for what he saw once he removed the cloth. There was nothing left of his eye other than a thin flap of skin where the eyeball once was, the eye socket itself was red and swollen.

Dhran dropped the scissors, pressing a hand against his stomach to keep from getting sick. What had Sitedal done to him? He had only wanted a dragon for a partner and yet, because of that, he lost an eye and was left with a mangled right side of his face to show for it. Squeezing the lip of the sink with his other hand, Airu turned around and slid to the ground, sobbing. To lose a part of himself simply because of a wish was . . . inhumane. A soft knock on the door startled him and he jerked his head up, nearly bumping it on the underside the sink itself.

"Who it is?" He called out as he reigned his emotions back under control, bringing his knees up and resting his arms on them.

"Are you alright Airu?" Aurelia, he realized solemnly, had asked the question and had come to check on him. "I couldn't get back to sleep and decided to check on you. Can I come in?"

He rested his head on his arms, closing his eye as he sniffed. "Sure, love. The door's unlocked."

A quiet rustle of material and the slight noise of the door opening told Dhran more than he could bare to know. He feared she might find him ugly or that she would now reject his proposal for marriage. There was no telling when his face would ever heal, if it ever did, and he was ashamed to think she might choose to abandon him.

"You took the bandages off," she remarked as he opened his eye to see her standing in the doorway with a large t-shirt on. Nothing in her expression seemed hateful, only sympathetic and genuinely concerned for him.

He nodded, afraid to speak, afraid he might start crying again. Aurelia continued, "I'm sorry Dhran. You could have told me you were going to do that. I thought you just had to use the bathroom and you'd be back but now . . ."

Dhran swallowed, eyes welling up with tears as Aurelia smiled softly and walked over, sitting down beside him. "I proposed here to you," he whispered, unable to meet her gaze for fear of getting emotional. "I laid my heart out and you took it, promising to love me for who I was. Is that still true? Even with everything that's happened? Can you still love me?"

"Oh Dhran, you know I would never leave you." Her smile was genuine and her concern was enough that Airu finally looked at her as she took one of his hands and held it firmly in both of hers.

He found himself smiling back at her, placing his free hand on her abdomen. "Seraphina told me Sitedal wanted to teach her the basics of flying today." He sighed. "She isn't happy about spending time away from us and the baby."

"She cares as much for the baby as we do. I think it's touching," Aurelia pointed out as Dhran collected himself in preparation for looking into the mirror again.

"Well, I believe she has simply included our baby in the family she has sworn to protect." Clutching the sink, Dhran pulled himself up and stood with his back to the glass, still ashamed of the image he saw reflected in it.

Aurelia joined him a moment later, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard but we can get past this-"

"I have never been afraid to look into a mirror and see my reflection. When are _we _going to get past this because I certainly will not be able to for a long while?"

She gave him a halfhearted smile. "Dhran, trust me." He glanced away, keeping a firm grip on the edge of the sink. "You know, when we first met I thought I was going to lose you even before I had a chance to meet you. Even them I could see you were a special person, and now look where we are. Seraphina chose you for the same reason I did, despite whatever feelings you have against Sitedal for what he did to you upon the hatching of his daughter by your hands."

Dhran shook his head, glancing over at her. Aurelia always knew what she could say to brighten his mood, no matter the situation. He reached for her hand and held it gently, locking eyes with his beloved. She, as always, was right about moving past the scarred image he saw of who he was on the outside.

"My sweet Aurelia," he muttered before he pulled her over to him and gave her a gentle kiss.

"When are you going to tell Seraphina about this?" Aurelia asked as soon as Dhran ended their kiss. "From what you mentioned of your earlier conversation with her, she sounded like she was in a good mood. This news will crush her spirits to know her rider is _deformed _because of her own father."

"I don't know when I'll tell her," Dhran sighed, looking down at the wooden floor under his bare feet. "Maybe she won't find out . . ."

Aurelia chuckled, amused. "She'll find out, somehow." Dhran's gaze darkened. "Seriously, love, it will be fine. Seraphina rose above the challenges placed before her to become your dragon. Her trust in you is stronger than any words I could say."

"Maybe you're right," Dhran admitted, finally gathering the courage to look at the mirror again, seeing his scarred image stare back at him. "Maybe she chose me for a different reason than what I imagine."

"Come on back to bed," Aurelia suggested, placing a firm hand on his shoulder to steer him in the right direction.

Dhran allowed her to lead him to the door before he stopped, taking her arm. "I have something I need to do, something that won't take long."

Aurelia sighed, averting her gaze. "Fine," she muttered, going to their bed and laying down, her back to him.

Airu smiled briefly, then left the room and went out into the hall outside, reaching out with his thoughts toward Seraphina. She answered him joyfully, revealing that Sitedal was pleased with her short progress. Dhran was equally pleased, knowing Seraphina would work hard to accomplish all set before her, the realization touching him that they were nearly of identical minds. Making his way down the hallway, Dhran lightly trailed a finger along the flower designs on the wall, marveling at how much detail had been put into the images. He briefly wondered what plants they were before the icy-chill of Tamli's mind touched his own.

_What is it, hybrid? _Dhran snarled, wishing he had put on a shirt before leaving Aurelia.

_I need your input; more specifically, I need your knowledge of dragon souls. _

_What do you want that for? _Airu knew his tone was harsh, but he was irritated at being disturbed at dawn break.

Tamli was quiet for a moment, finally breaking the silence just as Dhran thought he could take it no longer. _Finca needs the knowledge, she thinks there may be a way to recover my memory through the use of a dragon soul._

_Tamli, just because a dragon can dislodge it doesn't mean it can be of any help to an amnestic useless hybrid! _Despite his anger, Dhran immediately wished he could take back what he had said as soon as he uttered it mentally. Tamli was still struggling with his memory loss and it had to be hard for him to see a way out of the emptiness of his mind.

_I see. _Tamli's words were slow to come, his pride probably hurt from the harsh comment. _Could you meet me in Finca's chamber?_

_Of course_, Dhran agreed, relaying the information to Seraphina, who understood the changes in plans and promised to be waiting there for him once he arrived.

* * *

><p><em>How much longer? <em>Ladetis asked as Tanui felt his way through the blackness of the tunnel they had been traveling through for the past few hours. He knew both of them were eager to be free of the dark underground and be back in light, not to mention how Nethial felt about what was going on. For the most part, she had been quiet during their trip, only speaking when they went a wrong way or needing to clarify something, but otherwise she was a good addition to their team.

_I'm not sure_, Tanui replied, ducking under a low portion of the roof above them. _Ask Nethial, she'll know._

_But she's so quiet_, Ladetis growled, barely squeezing under the same section Tanui had ventured through minutes later. _What's the point of keeping her with us if she won't talk to us?_

'**I will speak when I wish**,' Nethial remarked, barely opening one eye to regard Ladetis with disinterest.

Ladetis growled at the reply, snapping at her back as she trailed behind Tanui, her guidance leading them out of the underground network that had seen rise to the true power of the cloning operation started by Misery and Amia. Nethial sighed, placing a hand on Tanui's shoulder, gently turning him to the left.

'**Up a little ways and we will reach the end**,' she commented, exchanging a brief glance with him before Tanui changed direction and started up towards the surface.

_She isn't so bad, is she Ladetis? _Tanui questioned as he sensed his dragon's dislike of her grow stronger, the feeling having been present ever since they had discovered her.

_No, but don't think I'm going to break down and admit I'm wrong after one day with her. She's still insane . . . even if she doesn't show it as much now._

Tanui felt Nethial stiffen, realizing Ladetis's comments were upsetting her. _Ladetis, stop it._

_Why? She doesn't even know what's it like to be normal anymore_, the dragon snapped back.

'**I know more than you do, hatchling,**' Nethial hissed, turning around to face Ladetis, her eyes dark with rage. '**I know what's it like to lose the ones closest to you, having nothing to hold onto of them.**' Her expression slowly changed, aguish replacing anger as she closed her eyes, clutching her head.

"Nethial, we can stop if you need us to," Tanui informed her as he turned and gingerly placing a hand on her shoulder, glaring at Ladetis for the dragon's actions.

She lowered a hand, brushing his arm away. '**No, I'll be fine**,' she muttered, trembling slightly. '**It just happens sometimes. I get overworked and lose it, becoming a crying lunatic that huddles in a corner, but you saw that side of me already.**'

"Indeed I did," Tanui chuckled, smiling softly as they exchanged looks again.

_And I missed it_, Ladetis snorted, averting his gaze as Nethial focused on him again.

'**Ladetis, let me give you some advice. Never mention my . . . mind set around others. Letting them know I'm back is enough to trigger a reaction from those that have only heard of me. Most don't even know I lived, which is sad**.'

"Most have no idea of the cloning process Amia started," Tanui added, smirking as the realization hit him of what she was trying to accomplish. "In fact, the clones won't be seen until they attack. Amia made us with the goal of destroying Tamli at all costs."

'**He's alive. How?**' Tanui sighed, running a hand through his hair as Ladetis growled, mentally laughing at the rider's failure to mention the survival of the original hybrid to the woman who had loved him and had a child with him.

"Long story . . . let's just say he's . . . a little bit off right now."

_Memory loss_, Ladetis explained, unsatisfied with his master's diverted answer. _Amia caused it, then nearly killed him, right master?_

Tanui forced himself to exhale, furious at his dragon for telling Nethial that information. She had mentioned little of Tamli to him so he had figured she didn't want to see him again, but Ladetis had to ruin the moment by revealing that the hybrid was still alive. Gathering his anger, he shook his head, glaring at Ladetis as he felt the dragonet take a step back out of primal fear.

'**There is no need for worry**,' Nethial remarked after a moment. '**I have no interest in seeing him again. He left me alone with Raoul, having to struggle to keep Finca interested in life. He deserves every bit of pain coming to him**.'

_As well he shall receive_, Ladetis growled in agreement, slapping the ground with the tip of his tail. _Master and I will see to it personally._

Nethial nodded at the idea.'**Good, I only ask to be there when you make him pay. He owes me more than you can imagine, a debt he will pay in full**.'


	41. Fragments of Loss

**Chapter 41-Fragments of Loss**

Tanui held back a sigh as they stopped shortly after their venture back aboveground. Nethial had taken to the lightness rather well, although now she huddled under a tree, muttering something so low he couldn't make out her words. Ladetis was basking in the sun, letting the warmth heat up his body, and possibly sleeping as a result. They had barely made it out of the tunnel, which had led to a small cave in a boulder-filled area, before Nethial had suggested resting under a grove of trees that she had seen to the east, which now was where they remained until they felt rested enough to continue.

"You okay?" Tanui asked as he walked over and gingerly placed a hand on her arm, noticing how her gaze flickered rapidly around and the tensed state of her body even with the lightest skin-to-skin contact of a simple touch. He suspected she probably had no idea where she was, given it had been her first steps into daylight in over ten thousand years.

'**Darkness, silence, pain**,' she hissed, jerking back from his touch. '**Make it stop. Make it stop!**'

"Make what stop? Nethial, what are you saying?"

'**Lightning tears the ground. Run, run . . . No!**'

Without putting much thought into what he was doing, Tanui gripped her arm, pulling her to her feet. He dragged her out into the sunlight, ignoring her screeching protests to stop, and pushed her away from him. The change in her was immediate. She stop trying to fight and closed her eyes, clenching her hands so hard blood oozed from her palms.

'**No**,' Nethial growled, twisting her head away as Tanui took a step toward her.

"You will get better," he commanded. "We will start right now. I gave you time to adjust but that isn't enough it seems. More direct methods may prove useful." He slid his sword free from its sheath, channeling power into the ruby stone that set in its pommel. Once he had enough, he used the same process he used back in the Compound when he copied Tamli's sword to forge Nethial a blade nearly identical to his. The only differences were that her sword's pommel was white with an orange stone set in the center to reflect her original dragon's colors, as done with all blades of the riders.

Tanui finished the blade, also crafting a simple leather sheath like his for her to keep the sword in when not using it. Once he had both of those done, he sheathed the new weapon and went over to her, strapping the leather to her right hip, to reflect her backhanded left grip she had used in the caves during the fight with the clone. "Here, use it," he ordered before he backed away, drawing his own sword and pointing it at her back.

He watched as her hand grabbed the weapon, the tenseness of her back loosening as she pulled the blade free. Tanui wished he could see her expression but her behavior was enough to show him that she was recovering from her lostness by something as simple as being gifted a sword to fight with. Ladetis stirred briefly but went back to sleep per Tanui's suggestion, understanding there was nothing going on so the dragonet could regain its strength. Already the cuts and bite marks looked better, although the slashes on Ladetis's muzzle would have be to addressed soon to prevent infection.

'**You want to fight?**' Nethial questioned, surprising Tanui with how clear her voice was after she had been held in her madness for several hours.

"Why do you think I made you that blade?" Tanui remarked, shifting back onto his left leg as he readied himself for a running leap to clear her and maybe cross their weapons in a battle.

'**Alright**,' she muttered, opening her eyes and taking a step back in surprise, whirling around to face him. '**You made a copy of the original blade I once wore . . . I never thought . . .**'

Tanui lifted his free hand to his head. "I told you I have his memories," he chuckled, watching as her eyes darkened and she lowered her right arm out of the way, her left hand switching to the reverse hold he had seen her use during the encounter in the tunnels.

She sprung for him, jumping over his head and flipping to land on her feet. He briefly smiled, recognizing her muscle memory taking effect, but soon forced himself to focus only on the enemy he was fighting against. Tanui spun, barely having time to block a slash from her that would have sliced his neck open. He backed up, shifting his weight to his left foot, and charged forward, giving her little time to raise her blade to block his.

Sparks flew from the interlocked swords as Nethial's gaze flickered, her arm lowering half an inch. Tanui took the opportunity and lashed out, knocking her blade away and laying the point of his weapon on her collarbone. He was about to withdraw his sword from her neck when she growled, thrusting her sword straight across his chest, the tip of the blade staining bright red. Tanui jerked back, scrambling to get distance between them, only to have Nethial touch his collarbone with the point of her sword.

'**Never let your guard down**,' she hissed before she let go of her sword, raising her left hand to her head and squeezing her eyes shut, grimacing as if in pain.

Tanui dodged the falling blade and ripped a portion of cloth from the bottom of his cloak to press against the lengthy gash that trailed across his chest from her secretive strike against him. He sheathed his blade in the same instant as Nethial started to collapse, his right hand barely reaching her back before she fell to the ground. Ladetis, awoken by the commotion of metal hitting metal, was immediately at Tanui's side, ready to help if his master's strength wasn't enough. The pressure of her weight on his broken knuckles pained him but Tanui held strong, allowing Ladetis to heal the wound on his chest so he could use both hands to hold Nethial.

_Allow me_, Ladetis hummed as he lowered his snout and Tanui gently removed his hands so she slowly slid to the ground next to the white dragonet.

_What happened to her? _Tanui asked Ladetis as the hatchling lifted a wing and draped it over the unconscious former rider to prevent a sunburn from developing.

_Overexertion from what I saw. That slight half-an-inch drop in her arm gave it away. I was about to let you know but then she collapsed._

Tanui sighed, rubbing his right arm as he unsheathed his sword and proceeded to wipe it free of blood by using blades of grass. _Well, some warning would have been nice. _

_You can't expect her to have the stamina we do, master. She's been down in those tunnels for six years, losing her mind and blaming herself for it. You saw those burns on her skin as well as I did, but . . ._

_We also know more about her past then most, Ladetis. I . . . cannot fully break free of Tamli's feelings for her, feelings I may equally share. _Tanui shook his head, averting his gaze. _No, I won't show it until she makes some progress. Where should we go though? If we get even remotely close to the Compound then they'll know she's back, and we can't have that happen. _

_What about beyond the sea? Certainly there must be an island or someplace we could stay for several days, at least until we figure things out further. _

_That might just work_, Tanui agreed, finishing cleaning his blade and sheathing it back until he needed it once more. _First, though, she has to wake up, then we'll tell her about our plans. _

Ladetis snorted, his head resting right next to Tanui as they awaited Nethial's return to consciousness. _Indeed, but remember what we promised her. We will help her find her dragon . . . What is it?_

_Attor, that his name, her dragon I mean_, Tanui commented, briefly glancing at his bonded partner of mind. _He once had feelings for Tamli's dragon, feelings Finca never shared. I don't blame Nethial for wanting to find him, I'd feel the same way if I lost you._

_I would search for you as well, master_, Ladetis growled, lifting his outstretched wing slightly to check on Nethial.

In sleeping, she looked so innocent, yet they both knew that innocence wasn't there at all due to what she had been through. Her hair was matted with dirt and the rags on the skin she hadn't burned were lightly dusted in brown. A single lock of hair had curved around her cheek, prompting Tanui to lightly brush it away with a finger. He wanted so much to make it up to her after what she had experienced, to take all the bad things away and show her how life could be cherished and welcomed instead of treating it like a prison.

Tanui shook his head and stood, stretching as he relaxed his tensed muscles from the fight. Ladetis hummed in content and lowered his wing back down, only to snort and bring it back up a moment later. Nethial had braced a hand against the flexible material, her grey eyes open and locked onto Tanui's with clarity he had rarely seen from her.

'**Leave to the north. Cross the sea . . . find Tel-var . . .**'

"Tel-var for Attor," Tanui added, nodding in agreement as Ladetis stood and folded his wings against his back.

'**From the mist, find him.**'

_We will, troubled one, we will_, Ladetis assured her, glancing to Tanui for confirmation.

"Then we must start immediately on our journey."

* * *

><p>Tamli rested on the bed of straw Finca usually used to sleep, his mind wandering far from the comfort he sought. Tanui's appearance had unnerved all of them, particularly Raoul, and then for the near-perfect clone to leave with a hatchling . . . He wasn't sure what to make of the behavior but he couldn't afford to dwell on the subject. Finca was out hunting and Raoul was visiting Dhran and Aurelia, allowing him some much needed time to himself, only he was distracted with other thoughts.<p>

He rolled over on his side, watching the entrance to the room for signs of anyone coming to speak with him. Dhran's reply to him had confused him, made him question why he had even wanted advice on something he figured wouldn't work anyway. The rider and dragon hadn't been any luck on the idea, leaving moments after they came with the promise of returning once they knew something. Tamli almost wanted Makiar to visit him, it would give him something to do other than stare at empty space and fret over the cloning process Amia had started.

Getting up off the straw, Tamli stretched, casting his thoughts out for anyone to communicate with, only to stumble across something he hadn't intended to find. With his memory mostly gone from him, he was used to memory flashes, but not . . .

**. . . A flash of pain jetted up his side, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. Amia snarled from within his mind and Santerous also seemed concerned over something, urging him to hurry and make it to the place his beloved was fighting. He scrambled to his feet, breaking into a run as he stretched his limbs to the max to clear as much ground as he could. The voices were distant but he recognized one of them, one he never expected to hear again. Maybe that was why Amia had allowed him to take control, so he could watch in agony as she was ripped from him once more. Cresting the current hill he had fought to climb up, he stared down into chaos as two large armies fought between themselves. **

**One consisted of dragons and other creatures called upon to save their home while the other side was filled of beings made from darkness, and also the woman he had loved. Leaving her had been as hard as leaving Finca, but to know she had been pregnant with their son when he left still agonized his tortured soul. He wiped away a tear, cursing his continued feelings for her even though he hadn't seen her in twenty years. Amia's impatience stirred him on, despite the panic that slowly was building up in him.**

**A flash of lightning split the air, revealing a woman kneeling off to the side, holding her shoulder. Tamli broke back into a run, nearly rolling down the hill as he rushed to get to her and protect her. He saw from the corner of his eye, a white dragon making its way through the dark forces that prevented it from nearing the human. It was no surprise Attor had chosen to fight for those wishing to save their home, but he was surprised that the dragon still cared enough to try and defend Nethial from the fate she had dealt herself. From Santerous they had been kept informed about their former home, a life each of them had stopped living once they had been forced together into one body. Three souls each with their own personality had been a challenge to adapt to but they were learning how to go about in the new state, one that now seemed unable to cope with the strain.**

**Tamli drew the white sword that hung at the hip of the body they all shared, cutting down those that stood in his way to get to Nethial. He finally grew tired of fighting so many creatures and jumped, throwing down a blast of aura into the center of the group. The resulting shockwave took care of the large number of enemies after them, allowing him to go to her side faster than he would have been able to if he had stopped to fight every one that had come at him. Seconds before he touched her shoulder, a spear of light rained down from the sky, ripping through her body and throwing him off his feet. He heard Amia grumble about something but his gaze was on Nethial as her body grew rigid and she fell backwards. **

**He caught her as she fell, driving his left knee into the ground to give him enough momentum to slide under her and ease her into his arms. A blast of wind whipped past him and he briefly looked up to see Attor clearing the last of the monsters from around him, the dragon intent on reaching Nethial. Tamli chuckled low in his throat, his gaze fixing on the approaching dragon as he passed a request to Attor to stay put in case another lightning spear should strike. He knew the chances were nothing but he really wanted to hold her body one last time, despite the circumstances.**

**"You . . . came . . ." Nethial wheezed as she opened her eyes to see him holding her dying body.**

**"How is he?" Tamli asked, realizing he would have liked to meet his son before he had to say goodbye to the woman he had loved and would have married had things gone differently.**

**"Our . . . son? He . . . looks . . . so . . ." Her breathing was labored, her voice cracking as she tried so hard to talk to him. It nearly broke his heart to see her losing her life before his eyes. He knew Amia and Santerous were keeping quiet to allow him time to be with her, the only reason he had come to the battlefield anyway.**

**"Save your strength, my love," he whispered, removing her helm as he ran a hand along her black hair, watching her grey eyes dimming as they lost the spark of life.**

**Nethial twitched, her muscles clenching tightly as she gave a weak cry of pain. Tamli lowered his head to hers and kissed her lightly on her forehead, wishing he could take her place and die instead of watching her life drain out of her as the minutes passed. He gently lowered her body to the ground and took a step back, motioning for Attor to come over even as he turned and started to walk away . . .**

Tamli jerked back to himself, barely able to keep his emotions together. He had seen so much, felt so much from that memory flash. From within the depths of his mind he felt Finca brush against his consciousness but he ignored her and walked over to the closest wall, placing a hand up against it and hanging his head. His first love had died fighting on the wrong side of a war, her dragon prevented from coming to her dying aid by his selfishness. How could he had been so cruel to prohibit her own partner-of-mind from being with her as she slowly died?

_Tamli! _Finca screeched, breaking through his mental walls as he felt her entire fury consuming his mind._ _You had another memory flash, didn't you? That's why you weren't answering me. __Her rage calmed some, allowing him time to explain what he had seen as best he could make of the vision. _You witnessed her death . . . I'm so sorry, little one. Do you want me to come and comfort you? _

_No_, he managed to whisper in reply, closing his eyes as he felt hot tears stinging the corners of his eyes. _No, I just want to be alone. _

Finca seemed disappointed in the reply but she didn't question it, instead withdrawing from his mind as he sank to the floor, letting out his feelings with a strangled cry. He was right in wanting to be alone, he couldn't face having to admit to her that he felt heartbroken over the loss of the very woman who he had bore a son with years ago during his youth. Losing Nethial back then had meant little to him, but now it tore him apart. He had left to protect her but she had died and he had prevented her own dragon from being with her at her death.


	42. Unspoken Shadows

**Chapter 42-Unspoken Shadows**

Windra snorted, curling up into a comfortable position as Narssia screeched in agony, trashing against the thick chains that had been fitted around her body and strapped her to the floor. Jormundur had fashioned the linked metal after what had been fitted around her during her capture following her killing of Raxmon in their future time, the bands having worked well for days now. Dragging her back to his cave hadn't been easy, but he hadn't been alone this time. Her son had been more than eager to help, even doing the pulling when Windra had to rest. He liked the greyling fine but he wondered sometimes what went on in its head, how it understood the need for such drastic measures to be taken to help Narssia.

_Straining to get them off isn't going to help you any_, he snorted as she tried to bite the chains, noticing the thick smoke that rose from her nostrils and the sound of her labored breathing.

_I can't take it_, she shrieked, clawing the ground as she shook her head, her gaze blazing with hatred over the situation. _Get this off me! I have done nothing wrong! You've made a mistake!_

Jormundur, from where he lay near the entrance to the cave, perked his head up, snorting in amusement. _You tried to kill me_, he pointed out with an emotionless tone. _You went after past-Arxa with a bloodlust equal to her own. I'd say you're a threat to yourself, despite the fact that you're my mother. _

_I didn't mean it_, Narssia growled, panting as she paused in her attempt to break free. _I was enraged at Raxmon's death, Jormundur. I acted out of anger-_

_An emotion you let rule over you_, Windra added, briefly glancing at Jormundur and giving him a growl of agreement.

_You would have done the same_, Narssia hissed, her eyes flickering to Windra and then back to her son.

_I wasn't the one who offered their own body for the darkness to enter into_, Jormundur snorted, _so no, I wouldn't have done the same._

_But Jormundur . . ._

Windra growled, breaking off her plea as he stood, stretching as he felt the urge to go hunting._ _Watch her__, he commanded as he turned to leave, passing Jormundur as he did so.

_I will come with_, the greyling snorted, eyeing his mother,_ _and ___Narssia will be joining us as well. _

_But she can't . . ._

Narssia growled, drowning out the rest of his words. She paused for a moment then hissed, shrinking back against the wall. _She's here. _

_That's impossible_, Windra growled. _She has never gone out this far. _

_It is her. She seems to . . ._

The ceiling above them suddenly shattered, revealing blue skies and a black dragoness hovering right above their heads. Narssia hissed, her vision painfully blinded by the light as Jormundur got to his feet and walked over to his mother, determined to shield her from any harm. Windra wasted no time in taking to the air and going after Arxa, ordering Narssia and her son to leave while he dealt with their intruder.

He barely passed where the ceiling had once been before Arxa screeched, blasting down a stream of red energy that he knew to avoid at all costs. Narssia had told him of the elements her children possessed and he figured she also knew how to wield them, more or less. Jormundur snarled and joined him a second later, already forming the beginnings of a cyclone in his open maw. Windra glanced at the greyling for a moment before he dived down, letting his claws turn bright green as he forced himself to draw upon his poisonous abilities. Once Jormundur had unleashed the windstorm, he launched himself up and came at Arxa from below while the cyclone hit her directly.

Dodging the current of wind, the dark dragoness flipped backwards and blasted Windra with a stream of black-tipped fire, the sudden attack making him stop his strike and take the full fury of her flames. A second later a blur of black rushed by him and he growled, thinking it was Arxa coming to attack him again, but relaxed when Jormundur briefly touched his mind to let him know Narssia was free and had promised to help them fight off the Corruption-controlled beast.

Windra hovered for a minute more then he flew upwards, meeting up with Narssia as she stared down Arxa. He had time to realize how closely matched they really were with both of them knowing the same elements, to an extent, and their size nearly the same. Jormundur joined them a moment later and instructed that they combine their elements together to fight off the evil she-dragon. Arxa struck first, however, by letting loose a stream of fear which Narssia countered with a blast of electricity, the excess power dancing over her wings as it had done when she first used the element against the darkness the first time.

Jormundur joined his mother's blast with a sphere of wind, showing Windra the greyling had better command of the element then previously thought. Not to be outshone by the younger dragons, Windra spat a ball of green poison, hoping Narssia could keep her electric current active for a few more minutes so he could figure out a way to manipulate the wind to where she wouldn't be hurt by her own power. He was disappointed when he saw her briefly end the stream to cough, the sound grating and showing how much the blast had taken from her to keep it going that long.

Arxa seized the moment of freeness to drop from the air, vanishing for a moment, and then reappeared behind Narssia, wrapping her tail around the future dragon's neck. Windra snarled, recognizing the use of time-bending to allow the dark dragoness to move so fast, and let a sphere of wind loose from his jaws as Jormundur growled and shot forward, using his control over the air to make his movements faster but not enough as Arxa shot a pulsing blast of fear at him and then contracted the muscles in her tail.

_No! _Windra growled as he felt the air around Narssia grow still as she tried to fight back, her movements becoming less erratic as seconds passed.

_Mother! _Jormundur's roar resounded through the air, the greyling dodging the blast as Windra sensed a calmness come over Narssia, an inner peace that grew and pulsed as if it was a living energy.

He recognized what she was trying to do a minute before she closed her eyes, black vapors swirling to life around her body. The energy strengthened as she opened her eyes, the yellow irises fading to white pools of nothingness as Windra growled, feeling the wind take on an icy chill. A low snarl rose from her throat as the shadows faded, her eyes returning to their normal yellow as she opened her maw. Jormundur spat another sphere of wind at Arxa's tail and the dragoness jerked herself and Narssia to the side, allowing the future black she-dragon to point her muzzle up directly at her foe.

A pulsing sphere of utter blackness rested in Narssia's maw and Windra let a puff of smoke loose seconds before she sent the raging blast of energy forth. The blast was enough to break Arxa's hold but Windra noticed that Narssia had already given up, closing her eyes as she slipped from her opponent's grip. He heard the painful snarl of the darkness-controlled beast but paid no attention to it as he shot downward, catching Narssia even as he felt a spear of ice slice through the back of his head . . .

* * *

><p>Jormundur dove after Windra as soon as he noticed the jagged shard of ice embedding itself in the white dragon's head. He briefly felt the air to his left grow warm but ignored the strike by Arxa, manipulating the wind to speed up his downward flight. Tucking his wings close by his side, the greyling rushed toward his mother's former rider, determined to save both of them. He had seen the old-one grab Narssia so he only had to focus on getting to one of them in order to protect the two.<p>

_Windra, keep your grip strong_, he growled, unsure if the dragon was already dying or struggling to stay alive long enough to make it to the ground.

Arxa tried again to blast him with fire but he banked to the right and sent another air sphere back at her, hoping the distraction would give him enough time to reach Windra. He noticed one of his mother's eyes opening as he fanned out his wings, slowing his descent as he came close, and let a brief growl loose. If she could fight then they might have a chance to escape and save the old-one from certain death.

_Can you fight, mother? _He asked as she met his gaze and broke a taloned foreleg free from her former rider's hold.

_I can buy us some time but not much. The electric arc took most of my energy to pull off, not to mention the blast of Corruption I wielded for the first time without Windra commanding me to use its dark magic . . ._

Narssia snorted, breaking free from Windra's grip and flying back up toward Arxa as Jormundur reached the white dragon and cushioned its fall with a column of air he quickly formed to aid it. He hoped his mother could last long enough to allow him to get to the ground and check on Windra, otherwise the death of her mentor was certain to bring out the shadows of her tortured mind . . .

Jormundur landed on the ground a moment later, allowing Windra to drift slowly to the earth as he glanced up to see how Narssia was faring in the fight. He had always wanted to see a fight between her and the darkness that had taken her over but he never realized he could make such an encounter possible. Overall she was doing well, holding off the dark spirit as much as she could while occasionally blasting the Corruption-controlled she-dragon with fireballs.

_Mother, you can stop now! I'm safely on the ground with Windra. _

If she heard him, she didn't reply, instead ramming into Arxa and pelting the dragoness with a barrage of tiny sparks of electricity. Jormundur realized she was determined to buy as much time as she could, even exhausting her energy completely if she had to. He regretted not trying to fight for her when the Compound dragons had come to capture her after Raxmon's death.

A minute later he saw Arxa dodge a strike and then turn and fly away, confusing him at first by her behavior. His attention turned to Narssia and then he knew. The dark pulses around her scales immediately gave away the thought he dared to not voice, that she knew Windra was either already dead or would die before the day ended. Concern for her nearly made him reach out to her with his mind but he held back, realizing she would come to him when her emotions calmed down and she could think things over.

Windra growled softly, opening an eye as Jormundur walked over to him, determined to make the dragon's last few minutes as comfortable as possible. _She did it_, the dragon hummed, his voice weak and strained.

_Her control over the darkness isn't anything new_, Jormundur scoffed, lifting his wings from his back to calm himself as he readied his mind for the task he was about to do, a task he knew Narssia would hate him for.

_But she . . . _

Jormundur hissed, lifting his tail and bringing it down on the blade of ice that rested in Windra's head. The resulting force shattered the ice, a faint wind current sending the pieces into the old one's neck, killing the dragon instantly. A faint trail of blood oozed from the dead beast's nostrils but the greyling ignored the remains of what he had done, instead lifting his wings and taking flight, passing his mother as he departed. She would see his carnage later, experience the pain he had been dealt when Raxmon had been killed.

Letting loose a roar, he circled around, heading towards where Arxa had fled, determined to finish the conflict he had started with her. If Narssia wanted revenge against him for killing Windra, she would have to overcome her own darkness to see into his.


	43. Trust

**Chapter 43-Trust**

Finca found Tamli asleep upon her return, his emotional state draining his strength. She wished she could take his place and fight his demons for him, but she dared not ask for she knew what his response would be anyway. He had seen so much in his years wandering the earth, a life she deeply regretted she had allowed him to turn to. She should have fought for him, letting Amia take her soul if that was what she could do to keep Tamli from going down into darkness. Turning him into a dragon hadn't been in her best interest either, another decision she blamed herself for as she laid down beside him and watched him sleep.

_Makiar_, she growled, casting out her thoughts for the red dragoness that she had known all of her life. _Can you meet me in my chamber? I have reached a decision concerning Tamli. _

The she-dragon came a moment later, a low growl rising from her throat as Finca turned to deliver the judgement she had held so long about her mate since his return and his memory loss. Makiar stopped at the entrance to the room, waiting for her to speak. Her limbs shook as Finca got her feet, meeting her friend at the opening of the chamber, their eyes meeting as a lingering worry over Tamli's most recent vision caused her to break contact first.

_Thank you for coming, Makiar_, Finca admitted as they left the room, walking down the hallway as she gathered her nerves for what she was about to do to her soul mate.

_I understand your worry over this but we both agreed it was for the best. During that month he was unconscious following Amia's attack, we both wondered if he would ever wake back up and were pleased to find that he did . . . only to give us a new set of problems to deal with. _The dragoness paused for a moment, glancing away. _I did some remembering and happened to recall that Attor, your former love interest, traveled to an island off the mainland following the Battle of Corruption . . ._

_Why did you decide to bring that up? He always pined for me but I never gave him any attention. Why does the island he went to come into this?_

Makiar snorted, tapping the floor with her tail. _Because he took a dragon egg with him when he fled. The hatchling inside was a rare dragon species, known for curing any mental issue, including amnesia. _

Finca growled in surprise, impressed with Makiar's knowledge of dragons that far surpassed her own. So there was a species of their kind that could heal mental issues, a dragon that only lived beyond the sea. A low snarl rose from the back of her throat. No matter what it took, she would get Tamli there and see to his memory returning to him.

_Where did Attor settle? _Finca questioned, figuring out how best to approach the subject with Tamli on her new knowledge of how to help him.

_The island was an old part of our realm, prior to the Flood it was home to a colony of terror-fright dragons, or rather fear-users. If I recall correctly, it was renamed after the Battle of Corruption in honor of our former siblings and parents that lost their lives due to the raging torrent of water . . ._

_Yes, yes, I get that but what is its name? Makiar, get to the point_, Finca hissed, narrowing her eyes as the lack of a clear answer was starting to irritate her.

The red she-dragon snorted, smoke rising from her nostrils. _Fine. The island was formally known by a name lost to us, but upon it's rebirth it was changed to Tel-var, the cradle of sorrows. _

_Tel-var, fitting name for Attor to flee to. I shall inform Tamli and we will leave at once . . ._

Makiar halted her for a moment. _I want you to take Raoul with you. He may prove useful to you during your journey. It couldn't hurt to bring along someone to keep Tamli and you company, other than myself. _

_I will bring Raoul along as you wish. We will leave soon, now whether that be in a few days or a month I leave up to my mate-of-soul. _Finca growled brushing past Makiar as she turned to go back to Tamli. _I take my leave._

* * *

><p>Nethial stood, her arms crossed as she watched Tanui and Ladetis stare down each other, a mental conversation fervently passing between them. She regretted suggesting Tel-var, or even bringing up the name of her dragon. How she missed Attor for that matter . . . her heart still ached over his mournful gaze as she drew what she had thought was her last breath. Waking up in the . . . <em>darkness <em>had terrified her, driven her to inflict . . . _pain_ on herself to make sense of the_ . . . silence _she had been delivered into upon the release of the shadows. She had seen the monstrosity dragon the shadows had fled into, a she-dragon broken by so much then claimed by a . . . _darkness _that should never have returned to the land.

She lifted a hand to her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she sensed the faintest humming of the coming madness that plagued her waking hours. The altered mind state came and went, often times leaving her immobile, paralyzed by the wild strains of pulsations that overcrowded her mind and confined her to where she was, unable to understand anything going on around her. Tanui's dragon was in no condition to travel over the salt-sea with its limited wingspan, she had to help, despite her distrust of the poison-wielder.

'**Ladetis, come here**,' she requested, barely opening her eyes as she lowered her hand from her head, gripping the pommel of her sword for a sense of balance.

The hatchling came to her immediately, his head bowing before her in a display that drew her thoughts back to Attor. They had been partners, equals, and yet Tamli had prevented her own partner-of-mind from comforting her as she died . . . The _pain_, the agony of getting speared by the shard of light. She would never forgive Tamli as long as she could continue to remain in some state. He deserved to feel the mind-numbing aguish she went through, losing everything.

"Nethial?" Tanui's concern drew her from her thoughts and she briefly met his gaze, wondering what lay underneath his calm exterior. He was a spawn-clone like all the others yet having a dragon made him different in their eyes?

'**I know of something from the . . . darkness that can help get Ladetis to Tel-var. The procedure is painful, somewhat . . . maybe.**'

_What will this do? _The dragon asked, its deep bass tone bringing up more memories of Attor for her._We need to not dwell here much longer . . ._

'**Expand your wings, allow flight possible . . . Starting now**,' Nethial remarked as she forced herself to lift up her hands, Ladetis bringing his snout up to touch her outstretched hands.

The contact sent a chill through Nethial, nearly making her break away before anything was done. She could feel the nestling's mind, sense its distrust of her but also belief that she would help and grant him flight, as she withdrew one hand, curling it and turning it around to her body. Her own burned skin touched the strips of cloth on her chest and she jerked her hand away, returning her clenched hand to Ladetis's snout. If the dragonet was scared, he didn't show it, allowing her to close her eyes and reach deep in his mind, unknowingly opening herself up to the hatchling.

_Power . . ._

Nethial jerked her head back, keeping her body still as she grimaced, feeling the wild music threatening to take hold, to keep her locked within the mind of the dragon. She didn't want that, she wanted to help him. That was all she meant to do was give them a future, while she fought against her past. A past that plagued her with vivid images so real that she nearly forgot they were memories, dragged up from the blackness of her maddening persona.

_Filth . . ._

Ladetis whimpered, trembling as she mentally touched the bones in his wings, pressing against them with her consciousness as she broke them apart, elongating them and then bringing them back into place. She had told him it was painful so his discomfort was understandable yet . . . she hadn't meant to hurt him by an action needed to keep him and his rider safe. Her path was already laid out before her, despite what the clone wanted to believe from how his thoughts seemed to her. A broken shell of a once mighty protector of peace . . . a ruined mother of a child destined to hold more sway than she . . .

_Useless . . ._

A spasm of pain jolted up from her spine, her contact with Ladetis the only thing keeping her standing. She withdrew from him gently, trying to avoid his mind to protect him from her own. He didn't need to fall prey to the same madness that had come upon her, he was too young to have to deal with its constant destruction of identity.

_Nothing . . ._

Her broken mind touched his, unwillingly, as he sought her out to make sure she was fine. The wild music drifted from her, swirling between them like a vast chasm neither was brave enough to cross. Ladetis growled, twitching as he reached out to her, shielding her from herself as Attor had done so long ago. She felt the presence of Tanui briefly but her attention was focused on the dragon she had brought harm to without meaning to.

_Broken . . ._

She felt Tanui grab her and then Ladetis withdrew from her mind, roaring in pain, in the pain she had caused. Her eyes opened slowly to the light above, noticing how much larger the dragon had gotten from his wing stretch she had done to give him and his master a way of further escape. The broken state of her mind was still there, the same reflected to the white beast she had tried so hard to save from all she knew.

"What did you do to him?" Tanui growled as Nethial allowed herself to be jerked up off the ground by him, his face right in front of hers. "I can't sense him at all. What did you do?"

_. . . Broken chains, shattered dreams, lost faces that drift from memory to never be seen again . . ._

Nethial coughed, eyeing him with determination that masked her inner sorrow. '**He's fixed. You can cross the sea, but I remain as I once was . . .**' She was brutally thrown to the ground, landing hard on her back, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs.

She heard the sound of metal sliding free as she closed her eyes, trying to get her breath back, and realized Tanui had drawn his sword. The thin blade-tip soon pointed directly at her face as she opened her eyes back up, the calmness of his eyes lost in the apparent anger of losing contact with Ladetis. Nethial pushed herself up with a hand and stared into his weapon, her mind reeling as she felt the coming of the wildness once more.

'**The nestling will return soon**,' she commented as she noticed the smooth steel gleaming with a faint shadowy light, a symbol of either an aura wielder or one whose blade had been carved from an ancient powdered bright steel lost to civilization.

"You better hold true to that promise." Nethial coughed again, reaching out with her mind to Ladetis, who had crawled away under a tree to examine his new wings.

Tanui stepped away as Ladetis emerged from the shadows, the new wings she had made for him gleaming in full glory as the white leather pulsed with fresh life. Nethial sat up, understanding the beauty of the risen dragonet as she had felt the same upon Attor's first flight. The rush of wind under her . . . the exhilaration of joy from her bonded partner-of-mind . . . she had felt it all before yet seeing it now made her ache for what she had lost.

_Thank you for what've you done, Nethial_, Ladetis hummed, speaking to her directly as she closed her eyes, turning her head away. _This will allow us to get to Tel-var faster and meet your former mind-partner. _

'**I worry for what I haven't done**,' she whispered back, being as brief as possible to spare him the agony of touching her mind any longer than he had to.

_You saved our entire trip . . . _The hatchling paused for a moment. _Oh, you mean what happened when you were expanding my bones. Think nothing of it, I'm sure it will be harmless . . ._

'**And if it isn't? This could put you in a state similar to mine. Who would protect Tanui then? I will find a way to reverse what I've done . . .**'

Ladetis growled, walking over to her and placing his snout on her chest. _Don't_, he warned. _I asked for this and I will not turn back on my word. _

"He's right you know," Tanui added, sheathing his blade and placing a hand on its pommel. "He asked for it and you did what you could. I'll keep watch on you both and make sure nothing comes from what you unwillingly did to him."

Nethial sighed, realizing they were right. She wouldn't fight their decision since it was the truth. The madness could affect Ladetis different than it had with her, maybe sparing him from the worst of the agony. Whatever came, she would act on it while figuring out a way to save both her and the fledgling from what had driven her solely through six years of misery.


	44. Returning Night

**Chapter 44-Returning Night**

Narssia found her son as he was crossing the border into what she knew as her former territory. Despite missing a foreleg, he was still steady in the air, to the point where she realized she should have paid better attention to his growth and development instead of passing off the task to Raxmon. His dappled-grey scales soon became one with a dense fog, the way she had taught him and instructed him to do upon setting sights on a target. She regretted never showing him the full might of a wind dragon, having let him discover what he could do by himself.

_Jormundur, wait! _She hissed, pressing her wings tight to her side as she dropped into a dive, hoping to intersect the greyling so they could talk about his most recent actions.

Finding Windra dead had not been ideal, yet she had already believed it once Arxa had spat that shard of ice at the back of his head. Narssia growled, knowing that if she had left immediately after seeing the body then Jormundur would probably be dead now and she would be stuck in a time she didn't belong to, a time that haunted her about what it once had been before Corruption came along and changed her forever. She wasn't fond of her own plan to chase after him, having feared where he might be headed, but to see it for herself now made it clear to her how deprived her sons had been and just how much distance her grey wind-wielder offspring had put between them.

When Jormundur did answer, it was harsh and bitter, the same as what her tone had been upon her return from hunting on the night Arxa was unleashed into the world. _What it is, mother?_

_Your actions showed me . . . showed me how far we've drifted apart. _Narssia unfolded her wings and gave them a gentle flap, revealing her son's eyes from within the dense fog he had called upon to hide in. _I never knew how you felt and when I did find out, it was too late. My life was not the only one Corruption's power touched, it also impacted you and Sitedal in ways I failed to understand until you showed me._

The greyling snorted, turning his head away. _What does it matter? The old-one's dead and you come begging for forgiveness . . . Why can't you admit this was all your fault?_

Narssia blinked, unsure of what he meant. _My fault? I don't understand . . . _

_Of course you don't! _Jormundur snarled, returning his gaze to her, his pupils narrowed to slits. _All of this was caused by you. If you hadn't been hatched, things wouldn't have gotten the way they are now. _

_Jormundur, I . . ._

_No! No amount of pity can reverse the damage you've done, a damage spreading even here. _A blast of cold wind collided with Narssia's chest, causing her to back up with alarm.

She growled softly, recognizing the stirring darkness of his soul talking and not the dragon she had raised from when he hatched. If she had not been hatched herself then he wouldn't exist, nor would Sitedal or Ryta. Was that what he meant? That he wanted to be better off dead, confined to a life none of them deserved.

_Jormundur . . . listen to me-_

_Save the excuses_, he snorted, whipping up another burst of chilled air and sending it crashing into her._ _Prove you deserve to live. Show me what you're capable of, mother. __Jormundur hissed, spreading his wings wide as he stopped in mid-air and sent a compressed ball of wind at his mother.

Narssia barely dodged the strike, realizing for the first time how skilled he really was with his natural-born element. She had been like that once with her fire, before the darkness came and pressed upon her a desire to gain other elements and use only those needed to add to her ever-growing list of powers she could wield. A low growl rose in her throat and she acted on it, spraying a stream of black-tipped flames toward him, only for her attack to be ripped apart by another wind sphere.

_Jormundur, stop this_, she growled, spitting out a fireball to keep him distracted so he wouldn't interrupt her. _I don't want to hurt you but you have to listen to me. This rage you have towards me is justified, I know that, but you cannot let it control you. If that happens, you're no better off than I was and I refuse to see you become what I used to be._

Jormundur snorted, countering her weak fireball with a gust of wind that threw it harmlessly away from them. _Honestly, mother, you're just prolonging the eventual end. All your power is useless if you can't even wield it against your own child. _

He had a point, despite how his words sounded to her. The reluctance she had against fighting him proved how different she still was from Arxa, and yet how much the darkness had impacted her because of her struggle to remain who she had once been. Seeing herself so entwined in the persona of Arxa made her come to terms with all she had been through. She wished so much she could reverse the actions that had taken since killing Raxmon, from allowing Corruption free reign to destroying innocent dragons . . . she regretted it all.

_What can I say to make things right? I never wanted this for you, yet I must have feared deep inside something like this might happen. _Narssia growled softly, knowing deep in her heart just how pained Jormundur was by what had happened since his very hatching.

_I told you to show what you can do_, he snarled, giving his wings a flap to stay airborne._ _Strike me down, I don't care._ _

_I won't do that. Arxa might, but I'm not . . ._

Narssia growled, breaking off the thought in mid-stride. Could she admit to the very thing that had bothered her since she came to the past, finally freed from the darkness that had poisoned her soul? Arxa would have had no problems in striking him down but could she realize the true nature of where that understanding came from when she would have gladly done it years ago when the shadows were new to her mind and untapped power surged through her veins?

_You claim you're not her but I suspect you want to see how it feels, just for once. I saw your power against the younger dark-soul, felt the spike of Corruption swirl to your might and rage. Use that to your advantage, mother._

A low growl rose from her throat seconds before she spat another fireball at him, the blast easily deflected and brushed off by the greyling. Fueled by his words and her own anger, Narssia flew to meet him, twisting her approach into a spin as she switched to electricity, the same skill that had nearly crippled her each time she had wielded it previously. Instead of the excess energy going to her wings, she discovered that it rather flowed around her, forming the basis for a large funnel of power that surrounded her and extended several inches before her, making the perfect frontal assault weapon.

She smashed into Jormundur, letting her anger and misery drive her electrical abilities to deliver stunning bolts of lightning to him while she remained safe from harm due to the excess wind she had created upon flying over to him forming a barrier around her so she wouldn't be hurt by her new discovery. Arxa had been right to come into her and turn her to what she could truly be without restraint or pity for others. It pained her to admit that but she now knew it was the truth. Events she had blamed on the darkness now seemed perfectly capable from her, something not considered until her time travel to the past.

Jormundur snarled, breaking free from her assault to dive towards the ground. Narssia followed, readying another fireball, when he turned and launched several wind sphere right after the other, giving her no time to dodge or else she would miss the perfect opportunity for an attack. She allowed three of the five he had sent at her to hit, but dodged the last two, sending one back at him with her tail. The blast never made it back to its target, instead breaking apart and swirling harmlessly around the grey dragon.

_Did you think my own element could harm me? I expected better from the dragoness that threw our home world into panic six years ago and never released control until now. _

Narssia hissed in fury, despite her efforts to try and remain calm, and let loose a frozen spray that made ice crystals form around her maw, the strike easy enough for her son to avoid. He spat another ball of compressed wind at her only for the attack to be thrown back at him, a mocking growl rising from within her throat. They were somewhat evenly matched, a pair of dragons each skilled in nearly the same talents, despite the abundance of elements that Narssia had access to at any given moment. She dropped from the sky, coming to a graceful halt right before him as Jormundur snarled softly out of confusion.

_I have no intention of harming you further_, Narssia admitted as she resisted the urge to reach out and nuzzle him or lick his cheek, _but let me explain something before you start blaming me for everything again. I told you who your father was, after years of deceit, yet I failed to mention the one skill he possessed that you gained, a skill you discovered on your own. When I killed him, I also acquired the ability to move through time, linking me to you and Sitedal, but I kept quiet about the power, doing everything to make sure Arxa didn't let either of you know she had obtained it from him._

Jormundur growled, twitching his tail as he gave his wings a hard flap to keep airborne. _Why bring this up? You used to take all the abilities of the dragons you killed so why is his the one you think I don't understand? I have this gift, remember? I used it to bring us here . . ._

_Indeed you did_, she snorted, diverting her gaze. _I'm bringing it up because . . . because I'm taking us back. We don't belong here, our presence has already caused changes in the time frame, changes we never knew existed. I can't stand seeing that so I'm making it that we won't have to anymore._

The greyling snarled, floating back half-an-inch. _No_, he snarled, narrowing his eyes as anger distorted his once gentle gaze. _You can't! _Jormundur paused, his tone darker than Narssia had ever heard it before. _I won't let you._

He flew at her, clamping a taloned forepaw around her neck as he screeched in anger. Narssia knew he probably won't take kindly to the plan but she hadn't expected this reaction from him, so much so it caught her off guard and allowed him to claw at her wings and underbelly with his free limbs. Getting her wits about her, she released a small jolt of electricity at his taloned leg that was locked around her throat, nearly cutting off the air supply to her brain. She coughed, blinking back fresh tears right as one of his claws happened to puncture her right wing, the resulting pain making her screech and kick him away from her, the blow knocking him back several inches.

She coughed again, feeling the metallic taste of blood in the back of her throat, and calmed herself, reaching for the one power she had never actually used since she had taken it. Jormundur collided with her moments later, but he was too late to stop her from beginning the time travel as several rings of pulsing white light swirled first around her then around both of them, her will directing them back to their natural time.

* * *

><p>Darkness. Corruption.<p>

Narssia opened her eyes, expecting to see something familiar around her but remembering her current situation and dreading the looming conversation with Arxa that would no doubt come quickly given the length of time she had been away. She briefly saw that Jormundur had also come back into awareness and his low hiss signaled to her that things would never be the same between them again. Her own admittance of weakness had proved that, however much she might have now wanted to take it back.

**Welcome back, finally**, Arxa hissed, the familiar tendrils of Corruption seeping back into Narssia's mind and slowly returning her to little more than an observer in her own body.

**_I didn't miss much_**, she growled, sensing the hurried arrival of one of the clones from underneath her cavern. **_Jormundur is so different from how I wanted him to be . . ._**

**Ah yes, I heard that from him seconds ago. It seems he can kill another dragon . . . and a powerful one at that. Wonder why he didn't slaughter Finca and Verdra like that, don't you?**

Before Narssia could respond, one of the clones entered their chamber from a narrow side tunnel, his hair disheveled and it sounding to her like he was out of breath. She restrained a snort as he kneeled before Arxa, her attention briefly turning to Jormundur who lingered by one of the walls, hiding his missing forelimb from her view.

_Why have you come? _Arxa asked, the darker tone of the Corruption-formed spirit sending a chill up Narssia's spine as she tried not to dwell on the last time she had heard her darker mind-partner utter words so venomously.

The man lifted his head, the ropy scar along his jaw informing Narssia of who he was, and paused to take another breath before whispering something softly. She admired his bravery to keep his words hidden from the dark soul, pleased that she was not the only one sheltering secrets. Arxa growled, grabbing his arm with a clawed forepaw as she jerked him closer to hear what he had said before he repeated himself, louder this time.

"Nethial escaped, my queen. Tanui and his hatchling took her with them, fleeing from us before we could recapture her. They killed twenty of my best men, nearly killed me the rogue did, before his dragon stopped him."

Arxa snarled, releasing her grip on him as Narssia flinched, seeing the deep red marks on his arm gleam with a faint trace of shadows before the wound healed. _They fled? Find them, but do not kill them. _She turned her back on Gregal, tossing her head high into the air. _Leave that pleasure for me. _

Gregal stammered, trying to reply as Arxa walked away, briefly pausing to glance at Jormundur and nod to signal him to come with her. The greyling snarled once at the kneeling clone then followed after her. Narssia slowly withdrew herself to the isolation she had once been forced into for so long, trying to keep Corruption's power from knowing she now had a weapon to use if she needed to in order to break free.

She only hoped she wouldn't need to use her new control over the darkness to fight. If that happened, there would be no escape for her. Corruption would crush her mind and destroy all she had left. It was a promise she knew the evil spirit would keep until it was purged from her mind and soul.


	45. Dragon's Insanity

**Chapter 45-Dragon's Insanity**

Tanui sighed, collecting his hands together on the back of his neck as Ladetis soared over a river that marked the border of the mainland. Two weeks ago he could never have imagined that his partner-of-mind would have the strength to fly to an island off the coast of the mainland, a journey they were nearly done with now. Even Nethial had been surprised by how quickly Ladetis took to the flying, something that pleased the dragonet to hear praise from the one he had disliked from the start. So far there had been no incidents of madness from the hatchling . . . now Nethial was different. It seemed several times a day she would go silent and then start twitching and muttering softly to herself, these episodes sometimes when on for hours and would only get worse if he tried to bring her out of it with a touch.

_Master? _Ladetis asked, drawing Tanui from his thoughts as he felt Nethial quiver slightly behind him, her grip becoming more painful on his chest. _Can we land somewhere soon? My wings are tired and I'm starting to see things that aren't normal . . . _

Although Tanui was concerned about his dragon's mental state at times, he knew it was probably best to heed the hatchling's advise on stopping for the night. He was hungry and he figured it was about time to try and get Nethial to eat something again. _Sure, land where you see room. _

The hatchling landed in a small clearing in the midst of a dense forest, the entire area around them concealed by age-old bark and trees seemingly tall enough to meet the sky. Dead bits of broken limbs littered the ground as Ladetis flared his wings and dropped to the ground, sliding forward as he fought to keep balance between the air and the earth. A scattering of pine needles hit Tanui in the face but he brushed most away after an initial growl of pain.

_Could you find someplace better to land than this? _He grumbled as he jumped off, helping Nethial down a moment later.

_I did as well as I could_, Ladetis remarked, glancing back at him with a single yellow eye._ _When things start vanishing after mere seconds of seeing them and then reappearing, you would agree I took the best course of action. __He trembled slightly, worrying Tanui who placed a hand on his shoulder. _I'm fine._

Tanui sighed, removing his hand as he took another glance around the potential campsite. _Sleep well. Tomorrow we begin the journey across the sea and I hope you're ready for it . . ._

Ladetis snorted, laying down and resting his snout on his forepaws. _I hope so as well_, he hummed before he closed his eyes and succumbed to a fitful rest, one he deserved for getting them as far as he had in the time span he had done it in.

A quiet laugh of his own resounded in Tanui's mind as he watched how quickly Ladetis went to sleep, wishing he could also afford to let himself get a good slumber before they began the hardest part of the trip. But he had to watch over his dragon and Nethial for any sign of madness, something he had agreed to simply because he hadn't touched her mind unlike his bonded mental partner. As of yet, there had been nothing wrong with the dragonet until the comment he had made about seeing un-normal things.

"Nethial?" He asked after a moment more of reflecting on his dragon's mental state. "We need to go find some food."

'**No**.' Her sharp reply failed to surprise him given how often she hissed the simple word in his direction. A soft chuckle rose from his throat and he struggled to prevent her from hearing his amusement.

Tanui turned to face her, noting that her eyes were closed and she swayed slightly, rocking on her heels as she reached up with one hand to touch her head. His heart ached for her as he watched her slowly slip away from them, realizing she was now within her own madness once more. Restraining the urge to lightly touch her arm as he had done in the past, he stood there in silence and observed her trembling frame, slowly understanding she was muttering something under her breath.

'**. . . Protectors of Peace. Peace? Peace is a lie, there is no peace. Darkness took our peace long ago . . .**' Slowly her words became blurred, distorted as a low snarl rose from her throat. '**. . . Peace is the mind set of those that are weak. Those who try and think themselves as powerful by using peace as their weapon. What is peace then? A true inner strength or . . .**'

Nethial suddenly cried out in pain, grasping her head and rocking more forcefully. Tanui carefully placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to be comforting, only to find himself thrown to the ground the next minute with her holding him by the neck. With her right hand holding him by the back of his neck and everything from his waist up off the ground, her left drew the very blade he had made for her and slowly inched it toward his throat, her grey eyes open but void of any emotion or even conscious understanding of who she was with or where she was. If he was scared for his life, he didn't show it and instead sent a thought toward Ladetis, who awoke immediately and stood up, ready to come to his aid in seconds.

Apparently Nethial had seen Ladetis stand up for her grip tightened on his neck and the edge of her sword nicked his flesh, bringing out a small few drops of blood. '**No movement or he dies**,' she hissed, her voice nearly unrecognizable from the calm quietness she had portrayed during her clear moments.

_Put the sword down, Nethial_, Ladetis snarled, his gaze flickering to Tanui for an idea of how to proceed.

'**Never**,' she spat, digging deeper into the small cut she had made in his neck, letting a small stream of blood ooze down his neck.

Ladetis snorted, taking a half-step closer as his gaze turned wary. Tanui hissed in pain as Nethial twisted the weapon slightly, carving a gash into his throat, the discomfort not yet unbearable but quickly heading that way at the rate she was slicing into him. As the clone watched, a change seemed to come over his dragon as Ladetis stopped and raised his head proudly, smoke rising from his nostrils.

A minute later, the white hatchling threw his weight onto Nethial and separated the two, freeing Tanui from her sword and letting him catch his breath as the dragonet and the mad former rider stood up and began to circle each other, possibly determining the best method of attack. Nethial had dropped her blade during the escape from under the dragon but her bare hands would be just as useful, considering Ladetis didn't try to do anything too risky.

Tanui shrunk back, scrambling past dead tree limbs and moving as fast as he could with one hand over his wounded throat. The injury would heal quickly but he was more concerned over the two as Nethial made the first move by jumping to try and clear the dragon, only to get smashed to the ground by one of Ladetis's forepaws. She snarled, pushing against the ivory bone as the white fledgling stared down at her, a low hum coming from deep in his chest.

Eventually the dragon let up and Nethial scrambled to her feet, inching away from Ladetis as her hands twitched trying to understand and compensate for the lack of a held weapon. The white dragonet growled, jerking his head back before letting out a spray of green liquid, the realization of the element hitting Tanui a moment later. Ladetis had somehow learned a deeper level of his poisonous abilities with now being able to spray acid, only that knowledge didn't help Nethial very much as she jumped away from the toxic matter, darting from broken tree limbs to bits of bark as she did her best to avoid getting hit by the dragon's new ability.

One jump from a piece of tree bark to a limb that looked fine to her resulted in her foot crashing through the limb's exterior, the entire branch rotten and weaker than what she had been using as a steady means of staying ahead of the poison-spitting dragon. With one leg caught in the dead bark, Nethial struggled to pull her captured limb free as she heard Ladetis snapping apart bits of bark to finally catch up to her. Her left hand reached down to her right knee, pulling frantically as the sound of cracking branches and the echoing of her punishment drawing ever closer.

Right as the rotted bark gave way and her leg was freed from its captive hold, a puddle of acid blasted into the broken limb right next to her. Nethial spun, reflexively raising her hands to shield her face, only to stare right into the maddened eyes of the white hatchling, another sphere of acid resting in its open jaws. Tanui forced himself to his feet, shaky slightly from the attack on him by Nethial, eyes wide at seeing how far Ladetis would take revenge to, if it was indeed revenge.

"Ladetis. NO!" He screamed, uncaring that he had spoken the words as he forced himself to run as Ladetis spat out the ball of poison at Nethial's exposed legs.

Her screams of pain would remain with him forever, Tanui realized as he hurried toward them and jumped between his dragon and Nethial, noticing the thick shafts of acid-eaten bone that lingered below her knees, the only thing left from the attack on her legs. Ladetis snarled, bating at him with a forepaw, but Tanui kept his position, getting struck in his left shoulder by his dragon. Nethial huddled behind him, trembling as the pool of red under her grew larger with each passing second, something he realized he would have to do something with soon to prevent her from bleeding to death.

Grabbing pieces of bark from around him, Tanui turned and bent down, pressing the wood against her blood-slick exposed bones as he poured energy into the lifeless objects in his hands. Gradually the shavings rippled, turning into a solid mass of stone that bound itself to her wounds and sealed them up, keeping her alive and nearly draining him of his life in the process.

_What did you do? _He hissed, panting as his stood back up and turned to face Ladetis, the hatchling standing still with its head lowered to the ground. _What did you do, Ladetis? Tell me. _

The dragonet was quiet for the longest time before finally slowly exhaling. _I lost control, master. When her mind touched mine, I knew things would be different but not like this. _He raised his snout toward Nethial who still lay behind Tanui. _I never meant to do this . . . I never intended to harm her._

_You never intended to? She could have died! _Tanui snapped back, drawing his blade and pointing it back behind him at Nethial. _You could have killed her, Ladetis. She wanted our help, remember?_

_I remember . . . _Ladetis growled softly, the response lacking the emotion Tanui felt it should. He wasn't sure if his dragon was truly sorry or not, but he hoped Ladetis understood the repercussions of his attack on Nethial.

Tanui forced himself to calm his thoughts. It would do no good to get into a fight with Ladetis right after the dragon had nearly killed Nethial. He wasn't sure what to make of his feelings toward her anyway, but maybe Tamli's own memories were influencing his.

_Get some rest. We leave in the morning for Tel-var. _He sheathed his sword and turned, glancing back over his shoulder at the white hatchling. _Don't try and kill us tonight . . . if you can help it._

* * *

><p>Tanui slept for the most of the night curled around Nethial, who was still in shock from Ladetis's brutal attack on her. He wanted to not be mad at his partner-of-mind but for Nethial to lose all of her leg under both knees was far more than he intended to ever have to deal with. Wrapping a hand around her waist, Tanui pulled her closer to him, his mind too busy to allow him to get to sleep.<p>

'**You're awake?**' Nethial asked, her question surprising him since it was the first words she had spoken since the attack.

"Yes. Do you mind me . . ."

Nethial chuckled softly, hushing him. '**No. It feels . . . pleasant. I haven't been this close to someone since . . . well, you don't need the details**.'

Indeed he didn't. Tanui recognized her behavior as referring to her late night interactions with Tamli Dragonsbane and the love-making that had transpired. Through those sessions, they had grown close and had, ultimately, left her pregnant and without a husband as Tamli joined with Amia and Santerous Nekita to become a three-minded one-body union. He suppressed a growl, shifting slightly to allow her some comfort.

"I feared I lost you today. Seeing Ladetis filled with so much rage made me wonder just how far the link goes between a dragon and its partner."

'**Everything passes between the two, or so it was with me and . . . my dragon**,' Nethial explained, rolling over onto her back as she fixed one grey eye on Tanui. '**You would fight for me**.'

The words weren't a question, he realized as she sighed and closed her eyes, titling her head back on a piece of bark. Somehow Nethial believed that he would fight to save her, even going so far as to protect her from herself and the madness that often consumed her. Tanui silently cheered over the small victory yet also worried over how she might take it if he expressed his confusing feelings to her.

"I don't know how I turned bits of tree bark into stone but it save your life, nearly killing me in the process . . ."

'**It doesn't matter. You risked your life to save mine, to save a soul beyond redemption, and I thank you from the deepest part of my being**.'

Nethial sighed again, reaching over to his outstretched arm and putting a hand on his forearm. Her gaze told him all he needed to know concerning their growing relationship, if it was indeed loving bringing them together. Tanui gingerly placed his other hand over hers and brought his gaze up to her face, marveling at how peaceful she looked when her eyes were closed.

'**You find my . . . silence comforting?**' She asked, barely opening one eye to see him watching her.

He chuckled softly, patting her hand and loosening his grip. "No, it's not that. I just thought you seem so . . . relaxed while you were nearing sleep. The fierceness you exhibit daily seems to wash away during the night . . . or so I believe it to be so."

'**Is that true?**' Nethial paused for a moment. '**I know you're a spawn-clone but how old was Tamli when they cloned him. He was two years older than I during our training in Paradise so he should have been thirty-six when the Battle of Corruption happened . . . What is it?**' She questioned as Tanui started laughing, despite how tired he was with all that had gone on during the day.

"You almost died during the day and now you want to know how old Tamli is, even after you fervently made it known that you want nothing more than to never see him again. Honestly, Nethial, for being down in those tunnels for six years by yourself, you certainly have an odd sense of what to say."

Nethial huffed, rolling back over onto her side. '**Fine. I was trying to find out your age; since all the spawn-clones look the exact same I figured you might know, apparently not**.' Her hand lifted from his arm and she curled both together in front of her, out of his reach. '**Go on and sleep, Tanui. I can't promise much but I'll try not to kill you during what remains of the night**.'

"Alright, if you insist." Tanui withdrew his hands from her, tucking them close to his body as he pulled off his cloak and tossed it over him like a blanket. "Nethial?" He asked after a moment of quiet between them. "Could you help Ladetis control himself? You don't have to answer but I was just wondering if maybe you knew something either of us could do to make it easier for him."

'**If I knew something, Tanui, would I not have told you already? I know as little as he does about this insanity that consumes us both. Despite living with it for six years now, I cannot say I understand . . .**'

"What is it, Nethial?" Tanui asked as she stopped and her frame trembled slightly under the moonlight.

'**You don't know . . .**' She hissed, her back arching as she tried to curl into a ball. '**You don't know anything**.'

Tanui frowned, raising up on an arm as he knew something wasn't right. He suspected she might have withdrawn back into her madness once more, hoping to cope with the loss of most of her lower body. Nethial shivered, her hands clinging to her chest as her grey eyes opened and seemed to go out of focus. Just from seeing that, Tanui pushed himself up into a sitting position and grabbed her right arm roughly, dragging her over to him.

"Nethial, listen to me. Fight this, I know you can. Prove to me the strength you once held when you were a rider. Show me!" He snarled, taking hold of both her shoulders and giving her a shake.

Her eyes still retained the blankness they usually held when she was in her maddened state, something he had grown used to seeing from her. A soft snort from Ladetis broke his concentration and he glanced in the direction of the sleeping dragon, only to see that the white hatchling was awake. Locking eyes with the dragonet, Tanui released his hold on Nethial and let her slip down to the ground.

_You're awake_, Tanui remarked as Ladetis growled and raised his head, all the while keeping an eye on his bonded partner.

_As are you, master. She's slipped away from us again, I presume. _The fledgling hummed, getting to his feet and shaking off a few loose pine needles from his scales.

_Unfortunately, yes. I wanted so much to learn what I could from her before the madness reclaimed her once more. _

Ladetis snorted, glancing at her with a guarded expression._ _My actions are something I deeply regret, you know that deep inside. __

_I know, but I wonder if she does. _Tanui looked at Nethial, realizing her eyes had closed again and she twitched, running a hand along her waist and then curling it up against her chest. _One cannot know for certain if she will forgive you, if she even knows you caused her to loose most of her lower half. _

_Nethial can blame me all she wants. We need her help when we get to Tel-var, right? _

Tanui sighed, standing up and collecting his hands behind his back. Ladetis growled and walked over to his master, nudging him in the back. Nethial growled, shifting the stone that composed her lower half and then cringed, hissing slightly as both dragon and rider thought over what had happened since they had met her in the underground tunnels of Arxa's cavern.

_We have to leave now. Waiting any longer will be hazardous to her health, both mental and psychical._

Ladetis snorted, gazing flickering to Tanui. _If you feel that way, we can leave right now. Just put her on my back and hold tight. _

Grabbing Nethial, Tanui threw her onto his shoulder and climbed up onto his dragon's back. Raising his snout to the sky, Ladetis snarled, taking a step back before jumping into the air, flapping his wings several times to gain altitude. Tanui clung to Nethial as air whipped past him, narrowing his eyes to try and see what his partner-of-mind saw as they flew.

_Is it always this path we must carry? _Ladetis asked to neither of them in particular.

_What, Ladetis? I don't understand . . ._

_It's something Nethial mentioned during the time when she extended my wingspan. I didn't understand it then but I do now, somehow. _Ladetis glanced back at Tanui from the corner of one eye._ _I understand her now, master. Maybe it is because we share a common experience but her words, mostly, make sense to me.__

_Good for you, Ladetis. At least one of us knows her mind, because I don't know her heart and . . ._

_I understand, master_, Ladetis hummed, tilting to the left slightly as they passed through a cloud and then were able to look down on the same forest they had camped in for most of the night.

Tanui sighed, relieved that Ladetis knew his innermost feelings about Nethial and didn't try to dispute them out of spite. Moving his hands off Nethial to rest them in his lap, he felt a stabbing pain radiate from his left shoulder, the same one his dragon had hit during the fight. He had meant to check for damage but he hadn't thought anymore on the idea until now. Turning slightly so he could better see his shoulder, Tanui felt the surface first. Three large grooves dug into the flesh of his arm, leaving a bloody trail down his arm. Ripping the cloth off his arm, he gingerly placed a finger on the exposed muscle of his shoulder and upper arm.

_I know I shouldn't have attacked you but, in my maddened mind, you stood between me and her_, Ladetis admitted as Nethial trembled, her body stretched out over the dragon's back.

_I know, Ladetis. I don't blame you for going after me, I do deserve it anyway after killing your siblings . . ._

Ladetis snorted, smoke trailing from his nostrils._ _Master, don't blame yourself for that again. I told you I no longer hold that against you yet you continue to bring it up.__

Tanui shuttered, withdrawing his hand from his shoulder and staring at his palm. _I still remember mentally taking control over that knife and tossing it into the first egg, then calling it back and sending it into the second one . . . To think I almost did that to you still overwhelms me . . . _

'**Blaming yourself only makes it worse**,' Nethial whispered, opening an eye and glancing at Tanui, her expression a mix of misery and sorrow. '**This I know . . .**'

"I thought you were still held in your madness," Tanui remarked, whispering as loudly as he could so she could hear him so he didn't have to touch her mind and end up like his dragon or her.

'**Tore from it . . . not easy. Tel-var and Attor await**.'

Ladetis snarled, flaring his wings before flapping a couple times and descending into an air current. _Then let us go over the water. The quicker we get answers, the better our decision to come will be._


	46. Reborn in Mind and Soul

**Chapter 46-Reborn in Mind and Soul**

Nestled within the heart of far-reaching mountains and a dense fog lay a series of ruined buildings and grassy hills; the once-lost island of Tel-var. Surrounded completely by water, the three found it before they realized what it was, leading to Ladetis almost flying into the tallest peak on the southern side of the region. Passing by the crags that greeted their arrival, the entire area rolled out before them as the white dragon descended from his height toward the center of the island. With the mountains protecting from the south, the west and east gently sloped toward the ocean, revealing white sand and high cliffs, while the north bore rocky terrain, possibly holding caverns or dragon holds.

Tanui used one hand to clutch to the small spines that adorned Ladetis's back, bracing his other hand on Nethial's shoulder to keep her on the dragon. Passing through clouds heavy with collected moisture, the white fledgling fanned out his wings to the limit and gradually dropped from the upper atmosphere to float over the ruins of a once respected building. A series of columns ran around the outer edges, although most were now broken off or toppled over, and yet the main structure was still standing. Grey stone, some parts aged brown from years of being battered by the weather, rose several feet off the ground, the height at about seven feet at its tipped point.

_This place is amazing_, Ladetis commented in awe as they looked down at the still-surviving ruin. _Why was it abandoned though? _

'**My guess is the Great Flood . . . drowned those that once lived here. Certainly a small colony of dragons must have returned here but we have received no . . .**'

"What is it?" Tanui asked, turning his head to better see her, only to spot the distant outline of two dragons coming from the horizon. _Land, Ladetis! _He commanded, worried they might be attacked before getting a chance to explain why they had come. Ladetis quickly circled around the ruin and landed several feet away, touching down at the base of a grassy knoll.

Within moments, the scaled beasts had caught up with them, landing nearby but also cautious. Out of the newcomers, the lead one, was easy to pick out as the other one stood several inches back from a battle-worn white dragon with orange eyes. Tanui blinked, startled as the memories Tamli had of Attor rushed back to him, visions of the mighty dragon and his beautiful rider. He shook his head, abandoning the thought and turned his attention to the other dragon with Attor.

The proud scaled beast lingering near Attor's right flank was a male dragon with scales in the dark blue to black range and having grey eyes, the same color as Nethial's irises. Ladetis snorted, directing their interest toward Attor as the orange-eyed dragon stepped forward and lifted a forepaw in their direction. A soft hiss came from behind him and Tanui figured Nethial had seen her former partner.

_Please dismount, rider. _Attor's voice rumbled in his mind, the sound far deeper than Ladetis's but also reminding him of a dragon from Tamli's past, one that had a deep impact on the original hybrid.

Doing as the old dragon asked, Tanui slipped off, grabbing onto Nethial to guide her broken body to the ground beside him. Ladetis hummed, lifting a wing to shield her from the view of the two newcomers and jerked his head toward his master, a low growl rising from his jaws. Tanui ignored the behavior and pulled the former rider from her uncomfortable position on Ladetis's back, only to find himself pushed up again his own dragonet a moment later by the damaged woman.

'**You may speak, Ladetis, I have him held where he can hear you without interruption**.'

Attor growled softly before Ladetis snorted, pushing against Tanui roughly with his snout. _Do you want us to get in trouble with the old-one? He has not seen Nethial since her 'death' so we might want to think first about how to approach the subject . . ._

_You need not hide her from me, hatchling_, Attor snarled, returning his forepaw to the ground with more force than needed, leaving the earth trembling slightly under his wake.

Ladetis folded his outstretched wing against his side and glared at Attor, who in turn was gazing intently at Nethial. She released her hold on Tanui and reluctantly turned around to face her former mind-partner. Tanui breathed a sigh of relief that she wasn't moving to attack either newcomer, something they had found troubling during their mad flight to the island.

_You're alive_, Attor remarked, snorting as Nethial focused her gaze on him and growled softly under her breath. _Don't you remember me? I was your partner . . ._

Nethial snarled, clenching one hand as her eyes narrowed, a sign Tanui knew as a display of her growing rage. He hoped Attor would notice and give her time to adjust to the new surroundings, otherwise a fight was certain to happen. He briefly glanced at Ladetis to see the dragonet eyeing the other dragon with held-back interest at seeing a beast nearly as large as what his father had been the last time he had seen Sitedal.

_Young one, I was not expecting this kind of reaction from you. You honestly don't know me . . ._

Without giving the dragon anymore time to try and accuse her of events she knew nothing about, Nethial drew her sword and threw herself in his direction. The blue-black dragon quietly stepped between them, interceding her attack and giving Attor a moment to compose himself from witnessing the change in his once-rider. Straining against the bulk of the beast nearly as large as the one she was after, a low hiss rose from her throat before she turned her wrist and stabbed the other scale-flier in the foreleg.

_Do not strike back, Cambre_, Attor snarled, pushing his way past the wounded dragon to wrap his tail around Nethial's sword arm and gently pulled her back off the blue-black beast.

'**Let me go**,' Nethial hissed, turning her head to see Attor out of the corner of her eye.

"They're just trying to help you, Nethial."

'**No**,' she snarled, reluctantly re-sheathing her sword and dropping her gaze from the white-scaled orange-eyed dragon.

Cambre growled softly, motioning for Ladetis to back down, the young dragon having taken a few steps forward out of uncertainly about how she would react. Tanui walked over to the darker scaled beast and offered to look at the wound, only to be turned away with a harsh snarl. Ladetis, upon seeing his master's rebuttal, hissed in warning at the blue-black beast.

_Forgive Cambre_, Attor commented, glancing at the mentioned dragon for a moment before his gaze returned to Tanui and Ladetis. _He was raised wild by myself after the Battle of Corruption. I tried to teach him how to act around humans but he is a slow learner, has been for many years now. _

Ladetis snorted, backing up a step. _He barely looks older than I am so how old . . ._

Attor hummed softly. _Nine-thousand years, give or take. His species grows slowly, allowing for vast mental advances before the body can catch up._

Tanui blinked, startled by the revelation. Cambre was well over Ladetis's age, not to mention the difference between mental growth. "He's that old!" Turning his attention to Cambre he continued, "So Attor raised you nearly a thousand years into the time between paradise and the new realm."

_Indeed_, Cambre growled, his voice unnaturally gentle compared to his body size. Turning his attention to Nethial, the blue-black dragon lowered his snout toward her and snorted. _Come, injured one. _

Starting to turn around, Cambre stopped after a moment, glancing back at Nethial who remained where she was. The mound of stone that enclosed most of her lower half barely touched the ground, its tip resting on the solid earth under her. Attor growled, nudging her forward as he removed his tail from her arm, only to find that she continued to linger in the same spot and even began to tremble.

"Nethial," Tanui whispered, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go with her. She isn't . . ."

_No, the injured one must come alone._

Ladetis snarled softly. _Let him go with her. _

_I agree with Cambre, rider, you shouldn't go with her. He will heal her, no matter how long it might take._

"But . . ."

'**I will be fine Tanui**,' Nethial whispered, glancing at him for a moment before her gaze turned to Cambre. '**Follow . . . I must. Heal my broken body and mind**.'

"Fine, but I want to be there when she wakes up."

_As you will be_, Cambre hummed, starting toward the ruined building they had landed near. _This way, lost one._

As Cambre led Nethial into the building, Attor turned his attention to Tanui and Ladetis. Tanui could see the weariness in his eyes, sense it in the dragon's mind. Ladetis growled softly and went over to his master's side, draping a wing over his partner-of-mind.

_I never expected to see her so broken_, Attor admitted as he laid down on the ground, placing his snout on his forepaws. _How was she when you found her? _

_Out of her mind. Lost in an ever-spreading madness that now affects me as well. That piece of stone you saw in place of her legs was caused by me. I attacked her in a moment of madness and ripped the flesh from under both of her knees. An action I deeply regret. _Ladetis glanced at Tanui. _But I am willing to learn how to control my element first so it doesn't happen again._

_Good, good. I suspect you're both tried and . . . oh, I never got your names, did I?_

"This is Ladetis, my poison-welder partner-of-mind," Tanui responded, motioning to his dragon first, "and I am Tanui, clone of the once mighty hybrid Tamli Dragonsbane."

Attor snorted in amusement. _So they found a way to clone Tamli, huh? I know Nethial held a grudge against him for many years after he left her pregnant with Raoul but . . . _

_She still wants him dead_, Ladetis snarled.

_I'm not surprised. Come, I'll show you where to rest, young Ladetis. _Attor retreated a step, flaring out his wings. _You may stay here, Tanui, until Cambre is done. Trust me, you will know when that time comes._

Letting Ladetis go off with Attor, Tanui sat down at the entrance to the ruin. Pressing his back against the worn rock, he brought his knees up, resting his arms on them. Hearing the two dragons fly off toward a farther part of the island, he breathed a sigh of relief but also concerned for Nethial. He silently wondered when Cambre would be done and he could see her recovered in body and mind. He hoped Ladetis would receive training for his element, otherwise an event like what happened with Nethial might happen once more.

* * *

><p>Dragging her wounded body through winding hallways of grey stone, Nethial scampered after Cambre, trying her hardest to keep up with the dragon. She almost regretted agreeing to have her mind restored, yet the choice had to be made if she wanted to be of any help to the poison-welder and spawn-clone pair that had shown her a brighter side of life. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she listened intently for the sound of claw-clicks that signaled the movement of the blue-black scale-flier.<p>

Nethial growled under her breath, cursing the poison-welder for the damage he had done to her. She had only expanded his flight to allow them to go over the salt-sea but then for the dragon to deal her such a blow . . .

Snarling softly, she hesitated a moment longer before picking up her pace as she heard the claw-clicks resound deeper into the rubble maze. '**. . . What once was great is now broken . . .**'

Finally catching up to the dragon, she paused as Cambre entered a large circular room with a stone slab in the center. Continuing the design of the entire building, the walls and even the middle were the same color grey, but she focused on the scale-flier as he walked around the upraised well-worn broken column, his tail motioning her forward.

Growling under her breath, she slid into the room, making her way toward the center. Her black hair hung in knots down past her ears, occasionally getting in her way as she struggled to move forward, something that slowed her progress slightly as she stopped frequently to brush it back behind her neck. Crawling around the edge of the table, Nethial grabbed the side of it, pulling herself up into a standing position, baring her full weight on the tip of her wood-stone lower half and trusting that the slab's side wouldn't break off.

Cambre gently guided her around so that she clutched the slab behind her and then tapped her forehead with the tip of his tail, whispering softly, _Sleep, injured one. _

Pain seared through her body as his light touch sent her back onto the slab, a sense of muted consciousness coming over her. She could hear and see what was going on but, for the most part, she was unable to move. By a power beyond her control, her lower half twisted in agony and clicked several times, forcing her to slide up on the stone to make her entire body fit. Cambre moved around so he was standing behind her and then she closed her eyes . . .

. . . The sound of words long-ago spoken drifted to her as she regained her half-consciousness, opening her eyes to find that she was now being suspended in the air by thick white mist. Closing her eyes until she could see only through a tiny slit, she heard the steady breathing of the blue-black beast behind her. Suddenly a second flash of agony flowed through her as something alike to thick cables burrowed deep into her legs, breaking through some of the wood-stone Tanui had used to save her life following Ladetis trying to melt her legs off with his acid-venom. Her gaze flickered to her left wrist, startled as she saw what looked like metal bands being where there had once been smooth skin, the same flesh she had not burned and instead wrapped in cloth to try and prevent herself from turning her entire body fire-black as self-inflicted punishment for her maddened-memory impairment.

Her mind seemed emptier as well, leaving her time to dwell on things she had never considered much during her six years of silence in the tunnel system under Arxa's cave. Tanui had been so kind to her, shown her a love she had never had with anyone else other than with Tamli. She briefly wondered what to make of the interactions between her and the spawn-clone. It wasn't lust that drove her to stay by his side but she wasn't sure what to call it that kept her interest in the hybrid. Focusing her attention back on Cambre, she closed her eyes again, only to find herself slowly drifting off into a trace-like state . . .

. . .Varying sizes of metal scraps molding around the wire imbedded in her legs . . .

. . .The wood-stone breaking off and the new metal fusing into place with agony-burning heat from the energy Tanui had used to make the life-saving material on her legs . . .

She screamed, crying out until she became hoarse. The pain hurt so much, reminded her of the light-spear that had ended her first life as a human. Restraining herself barely, Nethial forced herself to reach out with her mind and locate Cambre, just to know if he had left her floating in the air. The dragon had not moved from his position, one forepaw now raised to be even with the crown of her head. Still writhing in agony, although her body was immobile, she gradually felt a change in the mist around her. Where it was once thick and heavy, it was now thin and vanishing quickly. Soon she felt the smoothness of the stone slab under her and finally the misery ceased.

A low hum filled the air and she felt the tip of Cambre's tail again tap her forehead, his soft whisper floating through her. _Arise, Nethial Asburo. Reborn soul in spirit existence._

The feeling of her limbs being weighed down left and Nethial lifted a hand up to get a closer look at the new metal on her wrists, opening her eyes slowly for fear of the scale-flier doing anything else to her. Three bands of dark grey metal connected into a single piece, forming a large cover for what had once been perfectly fine skin. The edges of each smaller strip were a lighter grey, giving the band a two-tone appearance.

_There is one who wants to see you_, Cambre growled as Nethial lost interest in the wristbands and lowered her arm back onto the table with a sharp ping of metal.

'**Bring him in then**,' she growled, scared of what she might find concerning her lower half.

The claw-clicking of Cambre's taloned feet drifted away for a second before it returned, bringing with him a person she wanted to see so badly. Tanui had lost his white cloak before the flight, leaving him with only a bloodstained white robe to protect him but seeing that one piece of clothing coming closer to her from out of the corner of her eye soothed her fears. He rushed to her as she forced herself to sit up, leaving Cambre to stand at the entrance to the room. She hugged him, breathing in the earthy scent that was the same for all the spawn-clones but slightly different in his case because of his mind-bond with Ladetis.

"Leave us," Tanui requested of the dragon as they separated and Nethial found the courage to glance down at whatever remained of her legs.

From her knees downward, there was only metal. Thick pieces held by strong cables, the same cables she had felt burrow deep into her legs while still semi-conscious, connected to smaller sections that led to what she thought was an attempt at a foot. Two large, wide sheets of steel had been worn down until only two grooves of metal remained jetting out in the front and one in the back, the sides curved and each entire piece nearly about the size of what one of her own feet had been.

Going up towards her waist, she noticed that Cambre had attached small bands of metal like those on her wrists to her thighs and upper leg, ending at her hips. She felt Tanui tenderly squeeze her hand in reassurance but she made no move to return the gesture. From the looks of her legs, she was now more metal that flesh, more un-human that ever before . . . but she liked the way her new legs looked.

"Do you like it?" Tanui asked as she pushed his hand away and swung her body over to one side of the stone, preparing herself for her first steps with metallic limbs.

'**How could I not?**' She hissed back, standing up and taking a few steps forward, only to fall to her hands and knees.

Throwing her weight back behind her, Nethial clutched the edge of the table and used it to get back onto her feet. Snarling softly under her breath, she broke out into a run, finding it easier to control her new limbs while losing herself in something as freeing as moving quickly through hallways she had dragged her wood-stone lower half through hours before.

Leaving the ruined building, she slid to a stop just outside the doorway, waiting for Tanui to catch up with her. When he finally did, he was out of breath, panting heavily. She suppressed a light chuckle. '**I hate what kept me going even though my mind was starting to break beyond repair. As you know, the madness just kept getting worse and worse, making me question my own sanity at times. I despise what I became. A ruined soul, forgotten by all who once knew me simply because they felt they had witnessed my death so long ago. It isn't right but I will not judge**.'

"You survived though," Tanui pointed out, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder.

'**Of course I survived**,' she growled, spinning around and nearly kicking him in the face with one leg.

Dodging her metal limb, Tanui gave her a quick smile, a lightness to his eyes she hadn't seen until today. Tapping the ground with one of her feet, marveling at the way it clicked with even the slightest movement, Nethial found her gaze held by his red irises. There was a connection between them, she realized as he hesitated to break away, reaching into his robe and then quickly putting one hand behind his back.

'**What is it?**' She asked, curious as her gaze shifted to the hand he held behind him. '**Better yet, how long was I in that building?**'

"Almost half a day," Tanui muttered, slowly bringing out his hand, his fingers clutched tightly around something resting in his palm.

Nethial frowned, glancing up at the sky to confirm his answer. The sun, having barely begun to rise upon their descent into Tel-var, was now nearing the skyline in the opposite direction. With the sky a dull orange from the setting light, she growled under her breath and returned her gaze to Tanui. He gave her a reassuring smile before opening his palm up to her, revealing a silver necklace crafted out of gleaming steel. A tiny medallion pulled the center of the jewelry down, its oval design carved into with two triangles, the top one flipped over and smaller than the bottom one.

A small gasp escaped her before she could stop herself, her hand reaching out to touch the smooth metal that told so much about who she had once been. '**This is . . . the symbol of the riders. I never thought you knew . . .**'

Tanui chuckled, walking around behind her and securing it on her neck. "I told you I have all of Tamli's memories." He paused for a second, marveling at her beauty. "This is just a small gift . . ."

'**You don't know how much this means to me**,' Nethial whispered, turning around to face him as she lowered her outstretched hand back to her side. '**I lived in darkness for so long, dreaming of one day getting my revenge, only to fall for a clone of the same man I once loved but now hate**.'

"I can't say anything. My heart fell for you as soon as I saw you huddling in the darkness of the tunnels. The pain in your eyes just captured me and now I can't let go."

'**Funny**,' she growled, placing a hand on his collarbone. '**I feel the same way**.'

Inching her body forward, Nethial leaned in close to him, taking in his scent. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting him gingerly kiss her. Finding that it didn't hurt her, she pressed in closer, grabbing hold of the back of his neck with one hand and lifting her other to frame his cheekbone. Tanui eagerly pressed a hand against the small of her back and kissed her again, longer this time.

Siding backwards, Nethial led him back to the building she had been restored in, letting her shoulders rest against the cool stone as Tanui's kisses grew more frantic, more powerful. Lifting her hands off him, she lightly pushed him back a step and then ripped his robe open, letting him step out of what remained as she retreated into the building, motioning him to follow . . .


	47. Ghosts of Time

**Chapter 47-Ghosts of Time**

Ladetis and Attor landed on the brittle cliff-facing of one of the mountains bordering Tel-var's southern portion, the old dragon still not yet winded from the flight they had taken to get to the peak. The dragonet had to give the old one some credit for being able to travel so far and not be anymore tired than he seemed to be, trembling only faintly. Clawing past stray rocks, the white rider-less beast led the young fledgling up further along the narrow strip of stone they had stopped upon. Ladetis kept up well, finding it a challenge to steady his footsteps as the path grew shaky under their combined weight, several large chunks of rock breaking away and clattering down the entire length of the mountain.

Dodging one particular loose section, Ladetis glanced up to see a smaller path above them, its width barely half of their current trail. Fanning his wings out, he snarled softly and gave them a few flaps, only to have Attor halt and twitch the end of his tail, the tip wider than it should have been and marked with numerous scars and bite marks. Ladetis ignored the older dragon, taking a step forward and then leaping off the cliff, wings already beating frantically as soon as his foreclaws left the ground.

_I wouldn't advise going the narrow path, young Ladetis_, Attor hummed as Ladetis hovered in mid-air, turning around to see both sections before him. _Many a fine hatchling have lost their lives on the breakable stone, thinking they could simply fly if it got too risky. Come back and join me on the safer ground. _

Snorting his disinterest in the older dragon's words, Ladetis inched closer to the narrow trail. _I make my own decisions_, he retorted with a growl as his claws quickly found purchase on the loose rocks.

_Be that may, you still are not seeing what I have wanted you to all afternoon. Why do you think I pulled you away from your rider with the promise of rest to instead make this journey possible? _Ladetis cocked his head, digging his talons into the ground under him as his hind legs were more secure than his forelimbs.

Attor snorted, continuing, _I called you out with me to show you not only the beauty of this place but also teach you about the true nature of balance in the life and mind of a dragon, one such individual I knew quite well long before you existed. _He paused for a moment, glancing up at the fledgling as Ladetis stayed anchored as well as possible to the unstable stone and shale mixture that covered much of the mountains' higher elevation.

_The dragon's name was Jhira, a well-honored sound dragon who never took a human rider, or so I was told. He spent much of his life hidden in the dense forests that surrounded most of the old royalty, of which Tamli Dragonsbane and my own rider, Nethial, became a part of. Arguably, Nethial was only part of it due to her father's status as being the high advisor of the king, while Tamli was adopted by the Nekita family, nobles in their own right. But anyway, Jhira never knew the good that came out of a helpful mind-link with a human, he supposedly witnessed one of his own kind ripping apart a young two-legged during his youth and the event turned his heart bitter towards even the thought of being paired with a weakling. _

_Couldn't he have been raised around others who had taken partners? _Ladetis asked, curious now as to finding out more about the life of a dragon he had never met.

Attor growled softly. _I suppose so, but he never wanted to and we never made much effort to seek him out. He was different from most of our kind, having smaller wings and frills around the back of his head, similar more to the water-serpents of ages long past than any resemblance to our modern-day scale-fliers. Yet his own race had nearly been lost when the Great Flood of the Old Realm had occurred . . . I believe Nethial told you much on that, correct?_

Ladetis nodded, prompting Attor to continue. _Good, good, it makes this next part easier then. As a sound dragon, he was able to influence the very air around him to become what he wanted. If, when startled, he was angry, the wind itself would howl in fury, thus giving him the nickname of the Siren Seer. It is quite possible that sound dragons could once see into the future, making them oracles as well, but most believe such is a lie, a mis-truth spread only to make the vibration-beasts more majestic in legacy._

_What happened to make him turn darker? You mentioned a balance but I don't see it_, Ladetis snorted, straining to keep his current hold on the rocks under his powerful taloned feet.

_Ah yes, that. It came as the darkness of Corruption invaded our earthly paradise once the son of the king who had long-ago forged the treaty with us passed down the kingdom into what he thought was capable hands. How wrong he was to trust his own judgement for we dragons knew the peace we had lived in for nearly a hundred years would never last. Once the shadows descended over the land, many of our race took flight and abandoned the only home we knew, leaving those of us who remained to fight against an enemy we could not counter with claw nor flame. Weeks before the Battle of Corruption was waged, Jhira came to us, revealing important information but at the cost of nearly every sane dragon in our sacred halls. _

The dragon paused for another minute, taking a deep breath. _He had been infected with the same madness that consumed much of our once peaceful land. Claiming we were all fools for not embracing the freedom the evil had opened to our island home, he tried to brutally murder our most high dragon of light, the legendary Guardian Mirage. Enraged by the failed attempt at a near perfect kill, we rose to action, pledging our forces to help save the city. I, meanwhile, took it as a personal mission to find Jhira and make him pay for what he had done with him secretly killing off a few dragonets every now and then. Young and quickly angered, I took to the skies above our deteriorating society and, although Nethial had not ventured with me out in the open since the start of the decline, I flew to her and asked for her help. She had prevented much of the darkness from reaching her son, Raoul, and agreed to help me if I would keep him safe. Thinking quickly, I took him to our great Guardian chamber and let those there watch over him, deciding to act on pure instinct._

_Well, did you find him? _The dragonet growled impatiently as Attor shook his head.

_Yes, and I regretted it. He turned her against me, spreading lies in her head that I figured must have already been growing. I did manage to rid him from the world, but not without a token of my reckless behavior. I assume you've seen my tail, how it is much shorter than it should be. Nethial caused that and then took what was left of my connection with her and shattered it when she died days later. _

Releasing a choking sob that sounded closer to a snarl, he whispered in conclusion, _A dragon's heart is never pure, young one. Taint it once with darkness and it soon learns to thrive in the shadows. You may be fine, you are young, but for Nethial I worry the most. Cambre may have fixed her mind and rebuilt her body, but there is still the subject of her heart and how she views those that left her following her death on the field of battle. _

Ladetis snorted, sliding down the cliff facing slightly. _You mentioned getting a personal revenge against Jhira. I assume from what you said that he must have killed a hatchling close to you . . ._

_My young sister, brought into the world as a wild dragon. He slaughtered her mercilessly as I watched in horror . . . only making my vengeance much more satisfying._

A soft growl rippled from his jaws as Ladetis nodded in agreement. He had wanted, once, to kill his own master for the deaths of his siblings by the short sword of the cloned hybrid. Having realized it was wrong, he now regretted his earlier thoughts and instead saw the pain Attor had gone through. Not only had the old-one been ripped from his rider, but also witnessed the death of his own sibling, a feeling Ladetis was all too familiar with.

Sliding down another half-inch, he glanced up at the sky to see the first stars come out over the darkening heavens. Attor snorted, glancing over at him as Ladetis gave his wings a flap and prepared to shove off from the unstable rocks under him. Lifting one foreleg away, the dragonet felt the tremble of loose debris break off and fall away, leaving a gaping hole where his talons had once pierced the stone.

_I told you to be careful_, Attor growled, smirking as Ladetis shoved himself away from the crumbling mountain-side.

Growling softly under his breath, the hatchling balanced himself on a steady air stream and glared down at the older scale-flier. _This whole place is unstable_, he hissed venomously, much to Attor's delight.

_It reflects your soul, young Ladetis_.

Ladetis floated back slightly, eyes narrowing. _No. That's a lie!_

_Is it? _Attor questioned, fanning out his massive wings and taking flight, coming up to a stop right in front of the poison-welder. _Look closer at the fading beauty of the stone-side, dark one. Stare into its depths . . . and you will see what I have said to be true._

_I refuse to believe it_, Ladetis snarled, his attention shifting between Attor and the mountain, its majesty being lost quicker than the time it had taken for it to build up its mighty structure.

_Very well, say what you will. I just hope you figure out what I meant before you turn on your own rider. _With a sigh, Attor turned to fly off, hesitating long enough to see how Ladetis would react.

A low growl filled the silence between them before Ladetis hissed, eyes narrowing to tiny slits as he felt the acid of his element start to rise from within him. _I would never do that to him_, he spat, releasing a slight spray of venom accidently.

Attor snorted in amusement. _You fail to see my point then. Losing control over your emotions is losing control over your element. For most dragons, this is not true, but because yours is a gift that directly ties into your body, the chance is far greater for something to happen and then spiral out of control._

_Why tell me this? _Ladetis growled as he struggled to calm himself back down and prevent a fight from brewing that he would most certainly be unable to win. _I could have already attacked you with acid, yet you knew I wouldn't. Why trust me?_

The former bonded dragon looked away for a moment, orange eyes softening as compassion flowed up from the depths of its soul. _Because for every evil one in the world, there is one to right the wrongs done. It has been this way for many a moon; such is the balance of life as we know it. _Attor's gaze returned to the hatchling. _I trusted you for the same reason Nethial trusted you, something neither you nor your rider has figured out. _

Ladetis snorted softly, appalled at how cryptic Attor had become in his answers. The words meant little to him, the understanding even less as he gave his wings a gentle flap to stay where he was in the air. He would never turn on Tanui, the man had been prevented from causing his own death after all.

_Well, tell me then_, he snarled.

_I would, but there is a problem. _Attor glanced around for a moment, finally growling deep in his throat. _There is a cave network on the northern end of the island. Meet me there at first dawn and I will gladly speak. _

_Fine._ Ladetis flared his wings, gliding away from the old dragon and deciding to head back to see his master and Nethial.

* * *

><p>By the faintest shafts of light gleaming out from over the water, Ladetis took to the air and made his way to the cave system Attor had mentioned the day before. He had experienced a troubled sleep during the night, plagued by the dragon's words that seemed to linger in his mind. Ultimately, he had not rejoined with Tanui and Nethial, realizing once he touched his master's mind what they were doing and wanting no part of it.<p>

Letting the warming updrafts soothe his uncertain mind, he settled into a steady rhythm, determined to keep from lingering on the very subject that had limited his rest throughout the pitch-black nightfall. Finally spotting the outer edge of the low-lying cliff range that signaled the cavern underneath, Ladetis dropped into a smooth dive and landed a few seconds later on finely powered dirt, letting his legs take the force of the impact.

_I see you came_, Attor chuckled, leaping down from a cliff near where he had landed, the sudden appearance of the dragon startling Ladetis who snarled softly at the aged scale-flier._ _This way, young dragon_._

Attor led him into a large well-worn cave, taking care not to go too fast since Ladetis was unfamiliar with the area around him. Keeping close behind the old one, the white dragonet had time to glance around his surroundings, seeing little besides sandstone rock as they moved deeper from the surface. Gradually the path sloped downward, making Attor bend his neck slightly to compensate for the lower ceiling, where Ladetis did not have such a problem due to his smaller size.

Smooth rock under their claws quickly turned to magma-hardened flat stretches that suggested to Ladetis that they were going far deeper underground then he had imagined. Passing by a column of charred rock, he noticed the blackened stone and suppressed a shutter, preventing himself from thinking that this place could be the death of him.

_Ah, here we are_, Attor growled as he paused for a second before leading Ladetis into a large room, ghostly lit by its own source of heat.

The magma-flow here was not broken, allowing large sections of the internal fire of the planet to burn bright and give the chamber heat and light. Pieces of the magma walkway they had used for much of the latter trip seemed to collect together in the center of the room, letting the outer edges glow with the lava churning around them.

Making his way to the center of the chamber, Ladetis glanced around, amazed that such a place could exist on an island nearly void of life itself. He had met only two dragons since coming, something he thought couldn't be right since he suspected there had to be a few colonies of their kind if the dragon population wanted to remain as large as it was.

_This place is beautiful_, he remarked as he glanced back to see Attor lingering in the entrance to the lava-filled room.

_Indeed it is_, Attor commented with a soft growl, lifting a forepaw towards him. _Move to the center of the magma-hardened stone, if you would._

Ladetis shifted his position, curling the tip of his tail around his left hind taloned leg, waiting to see what he would be asked to do next. A deep hum seemed to come into the area as he noticed a soft green light begin to pulse throughout the interior of the chamber, where he stood and where Attor lingered the focal points of the flickering illumination. Panic briefly stirred within him but he decided to see what the former rider's dragon would do before he chose to act on the instincts that were driving him to be cautious and ready to flee at a moment's notice.

_I told you I'd talk, and I will. First, though, I have an offer you might like to take. _Attor growled deep in his throat, his eyes narrowing to tiny slits as the pulsation grew stronger and more rapid. _I can show you your future, if you'd like._

Ladetis snorted, tapping the ground with his tail as he tried to figure out how to respond. The idea pleased him since oracle dragons had been rare since the time of the first Guardians and their gifts had been revered and highly praised. It seemed like a perfect situation but then again his instincts warned him of danger, prompting a quiet shake of his head as he sorted out his feelings over whether to take advantage or not of the opportunity being presented to him.

Before he could announce that he would like to see what he might one day become, Ladetis hissed and took a step back as a spasm of pain ran through his mind. He snarled, narrowing his eyes as Attor stood calmly, watching him as the agony tore through him and he fought to keep his suffering from showing in front of the old dragon. Within a few seconds, the aguish died away, only to return stronger as it forced him to the ground and held him there as his growl darkened and he could feel the trail of acid burning up his throat.

_What are you doing to me? _He snarled, glaring at the calmly collected scale-flier standing before him.

_Showing you the future._

Suddenly the pulsation stopped, fading away as a thick, heavy grey smoke filled the air, letting Attor slip out of view as Ladetis fought to keep himself focused on why he had come with the old dragon. Reluctantly rising from the ground, he glanced around to find that the wispy vapor lingered throughout the entire room, its thickness reminding him of the cool nightfall that filled his normal sleeping hours. He suppressed a growl at the sight of the endless greyness, wondering if his future was bleaker than he had expected it might be.

**_You could have saved him!_**

A screech tore through his mind, sending him reeling as the voice sounded oddly familiar, as if he had known it before his hatching. It couldn't be that he had let his master die, could it? No, he wouldn't have done that, he would have fought for Tanui.

**_This path was never yours to take, my son._**

The voice was that of his father, he knew, but the painful realization of the words made him unsettled. Could it be that he was headed down a darker path? If that was the case then it would make sense that he would abandon Tanui in favor of the shadows. His master might be a clone of Tamli Dragonsbane but the memories and experiences of the original remained imbedded within each man's mind, something that he knew plagued the copied hybrid with worry.

**_You killed the one I loved! Monster . . . dark-spawn! You shouldn't be allowed to live._**

Another familiar voice, almost sounding like Nethial but yet also different. Ladetis growled, shaking his head as he closed his eyes, fearing what he might hear next. He would kill others, lose his own rider, and follow down a darker path. Was that all the future held for him or was there more? He was scared to find out but he had to know, he had to change his fate.

_You might want to open your eyes to see what comes next, young poison-welder_, Attor hissed darkly in his mind, forcing him to again see the blank expanse around him.

Unable to close his eyes, Ladetis had no say in whether he wanted to see or not, suspecting the old one had worked its way into his mind and made him look and see what was to happen. From out of the mist, he saw the forms of two dragons, each horribly deformed in one way or another. The first was stripped of its wings, the second missing much of its tail and part of one horn. He silently knew that he was the cause of their injuries, yet seeing the outline of the beasts made him worried to see who the scale-fliers were.

Slowly the two made their way toward him and he took a step back in surprise as he glanced to his sides to see other outlines of dragons following their lead and making their way toward him. Holding back a snarl, he flared his wings, rising up onto his hind legs as the figures drew closer, slowly one by one making their identities known. The initial ones he had seen revealed themselves first, showing that they were his mother and his father, their wounds bleeding and their gaze angrily locked onto him. From the fog he saw other dragons that he knew, or at least had heard of prior to his bondage to Tanui. A shy brown female nursing a shattered forelimb . . . A proud, regal, red male gazing at him with a single blackened iris . . . Two separate groups of younglings nestled together, their eyes wide with terror and fear.

Crouching to the ground as the wounded dragons he would one day hurt drew ever closer to him, Ladetis snarled, twisting his head away in shame as he squeezed his eyes shut. _No more, please. Isn't this enough?_

Instead of a reply, he heard a bone-chilling growl echo from behind him, prompting him to turn his head to see if it was Attor. From within the mist, a large pure white dragon had arisen, the other ones apparently having vanished in the seconds Ladetis had closed his eyes for its murky yellow irises stared down at him with bloodlust and rage. Lifting its wings, the vapor beast snarled softly, showing off the pulsing blood red veins that adorned the inside of each leathery appendage. The poison-welding hatchling trembled, noticing that the new creature had blackened claws and possessed a single pitch-dark horn on each shoulder blade. Its spines were far larger than his, the tips stained with a faint green tinge that reminded him of his own element.

_I don't want to see anything else! _He hissed, forcing himself to his feet as the fog flickered uncertainly for a moment. _Leave me be. Return me to where I was!_

_Oh, but we never left_, Attor growled as the grey expanse slowly faded away into nothing, revealing to Ladetis that he was right where he had been before: in the middle of the lava-cooled stone walkway in the center of a magma-lit chamber in the underground of Tel-var with Nethial's demented former dragon to keep him company.

Ladetis quivered, unsure of the things he had seen with his own eyes. He was to become a monster, slaughtering and injuring many fellow dragons just for what? His gaze flickered to Attor and he snarled softly upon seeing the old white one start to move towards him.

_Stay back_, he snapped, retreating back a step as he desperately looked around for a way out that didn't involve either going past Attor or going into the lava. _You showed me enough!_

_Did I? I believe you saw only what you wanted to, not all of what I showed you. Perhaps we should examine the future again?_

_No! I won't go through that again_, Ladetis snarled, crouching down as Attor came to a stop right before him, the dragon's irises clouded by a faint layer of blue.

_We shall see. I sense much conflict in you, youngling. You accept what you saw yet your concern for your rider is touching. Such emotions I never felt, not once in my life._

Snorting in confusion, Ladetis twitched the end of his tail as he thought over what he had just heard. Attor had been bonded to Nethial, had known the threat of losing her and had come through it. If that was the case then he wasn't talking to just Attor any longer . . .

_Who are you? I know Attor had a rider, she's alive now and with me and my partner-of-mind. Since I understand that, you are obviously not him, so talk._

A deep growl rose from Attor's throat, the sound more menacing than Ladetis had expected. It seemed he was correct in realizing this was not the dragon that had taken them in and made it so Nethial could be whole again. He almost wished his master had come with him, but then again revealing the information he had seen would not be easy.

_Perceptive young dragon, aren't you? You're correct though in guessing you aren't talking to that weak-minded fool anymore. His initial weakness made it easy to enter into his mind, giving me time to build my strength as he recovered from the blow of losing Nethial . . ._

_I understand that but who are you?_

The dragon who had taken over Attor snorted in amusement, his eyes a darker blue as the coloration changed slowly from the neutral orange to a crisper aqua. Retreating a step, Ladetis felt the heat behind him warm his scales considerably and he realized he was perhaps closer to the edge than he had expected to be.

_I am the one you learned about yesterday on the mountain. The Siren Seer, or so they call me. _He snorted, raising his tail proudly as he took another step towards Ladetis, resulting in a low snarl from the white dragonet. _Now, now, there's no need for such violence. I want to help you, and the broken one you came with . . ._

_You mean you want to kill her_, Ladetis growled, eyes narrowing to tiny slits._ _Attor told me both him and his rider stopped you. With you taking over him, she's still out there and out of your grasp. __He forced himself to relax slightly, brushing the end of his tail against the magma flow and wincing as his scaled appendage met living fire. _So why not flee here and go find her? It seems odd that you would be busy trying to waste your time on me when one of the very creatures that killed you is still at-large._

Jhira snapped at him, barely missing by inches as Ladetis flicked the burning end of his tail towards the possessed dragon. Specks of lava whipped off his tail, singing the older dragon in the eyes as the white hatchling took the advantage and flared his wings, hoping the ceiling of the room was tall enough to allow him to bypass the distracted scale-flier and escape. Plunging himself into the air by the force of his wings, he listened intently as the aged beast snarled and screeched in aguish, the heated material-of-the-earth burning away its ability to see.

Swept upwards by a draft he had not expected, Ladetis discovered that there was little in the means of a ceiling to the room. It stretched high above, giving him plenty of room to wheel about and dive down to the room's opening, hoping the magma would deter Jhira just long enough to let him get a head start. The tips of his claws touched the cooled lava stone that signaled where one could walk and the hatchling immediately turned around, sensing the discomfort of the white one vanishing.

_Creative attempt to distract me, hatchling. In fact, I have never seen one try that before. You must be very brave or completely mad either way to even try such a thing against me_, Jhira remarked as he turned to face Ladetis, the faint layer of pride heard in his tone quickly overshadowed by the darker aspects that the dragonet had come to know as the voice of the disillusioned oracle scale-flier.

_You still won't do it_, Ladetis snorted, amused but also disappointed at the age-old dragon that stood before him. _Let me make this clear for you then. Nethial is still alive, despite whatever dark fantasies roam in your head. I'm not quite sure about spirits but I think-_

Letting out a roar, the battle-worn dragon leapt for him, knocking him down to the floor at the entrance to the magma room. With the old-one's weight on him, Ladetis had trouble getting his balance back but he finally found the strength to push Jhira away and stagger to his feet. For the briefest moment, he thought he saw a different facial structure flicker across the head of Attor: one of narrower size and frills covering the back much like the present-day's horns did.

Snarling under his breath, Ladetis anchored himself on the stone under him and let out a spray of acid, his mind briefly flashing back to seeing Nethial crouched before him, one leg just barely freed from the confines of a rotted branch. He had done wrong then, attacking her in her weakest moment. Tearing himself from the memory of the strike and her screams that followed it, he watched as the old dragon took the blast head on and then glared at him with blood trickling down the entire left side of its snout.

The attack had done little to Jhira, he realized slowly as the dragon walked over to him and lifted a foretaloned paw right at his heart. It didn't frighten him to stare death in the eye, he was used to such odds anyway with his rider having killed two of his fellow siblings while they hatched from their eggs, his spared only to then meet and partner with the man responsible for those innocent fatalities

_I could kill you right now_, Jhira hummed as his blue eyes met with an unwavering gaze from Ladetis, the white fledgling determined to fight until he died. _But it would serve me no-_

The old dragon twitched, barely able to compromise what had happened as Ladetis swung his tail around and lightly grazed a fine line across the white one's chest, only to then turn the contacted area into lethal pockets of venom that immediately began to burn through the unbalanced scale-flier. A low snort of weariness rose from Ladetis as he backed away, unable to take his eyes off the dying beast as it feebly tried to claw away at the bright green splashes on its body that spread like wildfire and soon consumed the entire creature, destroying him in a violent burst of acid.

Ladetis had no knowledge of the skill beforehand but he was afraid of it after seeing what it had done. He took a step back, understanding that there had come a loss of two dragons instead of one. Attor had died along with Jhira, a brutal sacrifice needed to keep Nethial out of the clutches of dark forces.

Swaying slightly as he felt emotionally drained from all he had seen and done, Ladetis took one last look at the room and then turned his back on it. With a heavy heart and a sorrowful mind, he began the trip back to the island's surface, intent on rejoining his master and reconnecting before the future he had seen could even start to be realized.


	48. Distraught

**Chapter 48-Distraught**

The shrill shrieks of a thousand dragons abruptly woke Nethial from the sleep she had enjoyed after making her desires known to Tanui throughout the night. Finding that he had at least draped what remained of his robe over her body to give her some warmth, she opened her eyes and blinked several times, slowly letting the world around her come into focus. The grey walls held numerous new scratches in them, the shape of each mark identical to how her new feet were shaped. Turning her head, she finally realized everything as her gaze fell on the sleeping form of Tanui. They had made love . . . She had opened herself up to someone for the first time in decades.

Noticing the smooth curves of his muscled body, she briefly smiled, the events of the night coming back to her as she lifted a hand and traced the outline of his arm. Three deep gashes stretching from his shoulder down to almost his elbow took away much of the beauty of his otherwise pristine flesh, the injury a stark reminder of the power of the dragon race. Abandoning the motion, Nethial drew back and switched her focus to something that was troubling her more than ever since having been awoken by the screams of scale-fliers.

Having touched the mind of her former bonded-partner for the first time in centuries, she had discovered that still a small connection remained between them, quite possibly forged from their mental link long since passed. Trusting in herself and in the recovery job Cambre had done to her, Nethial reached out through that lingering mind-bridge between her and Attor, hoping the earlier dragons' lament had not been for him as she feared it might have been.

Nothing. Silence. Peaceful stillness.

Reeling from the discovery, she frantically turned and shook Tanui, begging him to awaken. This couldn't have happened, not to her beloved former-mind partner! For him to loose his life before she died was unthinkable, given how her initial death had caused him to turn his back on dragon-kind and make the island his new home. A low growl rose automatically from her throat as she realized Tanui was still asleep, ignoring the panic that consumed her.

'**Tanui**,' she hissed, giving him a harsh shove as she struggled to get off her back, '**wake up, please**.'

Her new metal legs wouldn't quite bend the way her flesh-and-bone ones had, leading to her inability to get off the ground from her current position. Snarling harshly under her breath, she trashed around, trying anything to move her reconstructed lower half. Tanui shifted slightly, inching toward her as Nethial stopped her struggling and realized she would be getting nowhere until he woke.

Formulating a plan quickly, Nethial turned her head and got as close to his ear as she could, hoping this last act would work. A low hiss rippled up her throat and she directed its entire fury towards him, raising and lowering the pitch to more closely reflect the growl of a dragon. The idea worked, awakening Tanui who quickly glanced around for danger before his eyes fell on her.

"Was that necessary?" He growled as Nethial shrunk back, a slight grin masking her motives for arousing him,

'**I cannot get up off the ground from my current position**,' she snarled back in reply, her eyes darkening as she dreaded having to face either Cambre or Ladetis with Attor's death so recent.

"Fine," Tanui spat as he stood then pulled her to her feet, cringing a moment later as Nethial heard the off-distance sound of wingbeats.

Turning around, knowing what would be discussed by the two, she handed him back the torn remains of his robe and proceeded to walk out, only to be stopped by Tanui. He calmly followed after her and, after tossing on the white clothing, placed a hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a stop as she fought to not let herself dwell on the death of her former mind-partner. She turned, wrenching herself away from him as she caught a brief glimpse of the man she had once loved in his pained expression.

A low coon from outside the building confirmed her thoughts that Ladetis had come to them as Tanui dropped his grip on her and closed his eyes. Closing her own eyes, Nethial mentally reached out to the wounded dragon, catching pieces of his conversation and lament with his master.

. . . _He's dead . . . gone . . . I could do nothing, Another dragon, one he had killed years back, possessed him and came after me, leading to my defense and his . . ._

_I understand . . . Still, to lose him after all this time is hard to believe._

Opening her eyes back up, Nethial withdrew from the dragon's mind and shook her head, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Her beloved mind-partner was dead and killed by the very scale-flier she had helped two weeks ago! However much she regretted to admit it, Tanui did have a point with saying that Attor had lived long after her own death, far surpassing the normal expected life-span for a grief-stricken dragon.

_The old-one is dead, is he not?_

The deep rumble of a voice startled Nethial until she turned and saw that Cambre had approached from somewhere deep in the ruins. He, like Ladetis, was obviously stricken with grief over Attor's death given the emotional tone of voice and the wavering gait as he walked. Reaching out to him, she placed a hand on his snout, marveling at the chilled touch she received as if his body radiated pure ice.

'**Unfortunately, yes. The death-moans of a thousand scale-fliers woke me to this terrible tragedy**,' Nethial whispered, struggling to keep her voice even and not let her emotions overpower her. She had survived isolation for over ten thousands years plus an additional six years spend in the underground tunnels of Arxa's cave so there was no shadow of a doubt that she could handle the death of a dragon she had not seen for eons.

_If that is the case then we can only mourn his death as a collective group . . ._

'**A group? There are others?**'

_Indeed, lost one. There are four of us in all, Protectors of Tel-var. Satyr, mistress of poison, Ferli, master of earth, Valur, master of electricity, and myself, master of ice. _

Nethial nodded, correct at having guessed Cambre's element just from contact with him. She briefly wondered how he had learned to master ice but she figured she didn't need to know. Withdrawing her hand from his snout, she saw from the corner of her eye that Tanui had drawn his sword and pointed it straight at the floor.

_I assume you wish to meet the others? _Cambre growled, nudging Nethial as her gaze returned to him and she glanced towards the outside of the building where Ladetis had remained since landing.

'**That would be preferable**,' she replied, sensing that Tanui had again tried to soothe his dragon from the pain it must have felt.

"You mentioned poison, correct?" Tanui suddenly questioned as he sheathed his weapon, leaving Nethial to wonder how deep his connection with Ladetis was with the aftermath of Attor's death upon all of them.

Cambre snorted, twitching the end of his tail. _Indeed. Perhaps Satyr can meet with Ladetis to calm his . . . violent tendencies?_

A low snarl from outside gave Ladetis's thoughts on the idea and Nethial chuckled softly under her breath. Letting Cambre lead the way, she and Tanui followed until they had left the ruined maze of a building that had been the location of her recovery. Once out in the open, Nethial glanced at Ladetis to see how he was holding up as Tanui went over to him and laid a hand on his chest. The dragon's body was covered with scratches, some wounds from the fight in the underground of Arxa's cavern having reopened. The thing that caught her attention the most was his eyes, once so bright and full of life but now dim and clouded. He reflected her own state in someways, she realized as Cambre lifted his snout to the sky and let loose a frozen stream of ice into the air.

Taking a step back in surprise, her gaze having been captured by the blue-black scale-flier at the display of his element, Nethial heard a moment later the echoing roars of three dragons, each from a different part of the island. Cambre seemed pleased, humming as he lowered his snout and met her curious gaze. Nethial blinked, breaking eye contact as she forced herself to look away, still fearful of the dragon after his alteration of her mind.

_They come_, the dark blue-black dragon growled as Nethial hissed, catching the briefest scent of burning leaves on the wind before she relaxed and returned her attention to Cambre.

Within moments, the three dragons Cambre had called for landed gracefully in the wide open field that surrounded the building Nethial had been restored in. Although they arrived within minutes of each other, there were vast color differences between the scaled beasts, leaving little question as to the chosen elements of each. The first one to arrive from the distant mountains of the southern tip of the island was a large male brown dragon with silver eyes and four horns jetting out from the back of his skull. Thick scales lined his back while lighter brown scales covered his underside, his wings the same shade of color as his underbelly. The dragon's tail gradually grew smaller until it ended at a large boulder, which further gave away the identity of its element.

The remaining two dragons arrived within seconds of each other after the brown scale flier had landed, their colorations also revealing their elements. The first of the dragons to land was a male purple dragon with red irises, nearly identical in color to those of Tanui's own. This scaled beast also had a lighter shade of its base color for its underside and wings, its tail sharply jagged while narrowing to a pointed tip. The second of the two dragons was the only female Nethial had seen while on the island. Her scales were burnt orange and her irises were the color of seaweed. The tip of her tail ended in a large barb, a clear sign of her element.

_Meet Ferli, master of the powerful earth, Valur, master of the stunning lightning, and Satyr, the she-dragon who commands the destructive power of acid_, Cambre hummed pleasantly as Nethial found her gaze drawn to Ferli the most. She felt a sense of greater things to come radiate from the brown scale flier, a feeling that left her uneasy.

A moment later, Nethial felt Tanui's palm resting against her back and she turned to face him, wanting to know why he would leave Ladetis's side to come to her. His gaze drifted from her initially but then smiled and motioned with a sweep of the arm to go back into the building they had ventured from to get away from the dragons. Thinking for a moment over her options, Nethial sighed and followed after him, casting a weary glance over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed.

Slipping inside the ruined building, Tanui slowly came to a stop and placed his hand on the wall next to him as Nethial entered a moment later, still unsure about if she should have followed him or not. "We weren't followed?" He asked softly after a moment, lifting his hand from the wall and turning to face her.

'**No. I made sure no one was behind us**,' Nethial responded, crossing her arms over her chest out of habit from the days of her madness.

A tensed sigh escaped Tanui and his gaze, having been rigid while questioning her, relaxed. "Good, good. It just didn't feel right standing there as if I was some new creature they had never seen before . . ."

'**I understand**,' she whispered softly, resisting the urge to run a hand through his black hair. Curious emotions had risen within her since her recovery, emotions she was still trying to sort through and make sense of with how they pertained to Tanui and the growing relationship between herself and the spawn-clone.

He sighed again, glancing past her and out the room's entrance just to make sure they were alone. Nethial studied him, noticing the deep lines that seemed to etch into his face as he scowled and looked away, collecting his hands together in front of him. Under different circumstances, she might have mistaken him for Tamli even though her former love had rarely shown his emotions in front of her. She chuckled under her breath at the thought before realizing that one of the only times Tamli had shown his emotions had been before his 'death' caused by Amia so that Finca would be safe.

"When we first landed here, before I knew anything of Attor or Cambre, I fully believed you would be healed and we could leave to start a life together . . . Only I was far too lost in my own dreams of idealization to realize the truth!" Tanui closed his eyes, gritting his teeth together as his body shook slightly. "You were meant to come here, Nethial, but I have no such place to call home. An outcast, a deserter of my kind . . . all because of my dragon. It makes no sense!"

He screamed, punching the wall right next to her as Nethial slowly backed away, startled at the sudden change of emotions from Tanui. She had never seen him this angry, this furious before. Tamli, in the time she had known him, had never been prone to violent outbursts like what she was currently witnessing. Maybe the cloning process had altered the minds of the copied hybrids, giving them a more violent nature while stripping them of a skill her former love had wielded? There had been no sign of Tanui being an aura sensitive, unlike the original hybrid he had been cloned from as Tamli was quite familiar with the gift and rather skilled with using its vast properties.

Tanui's gaze flickered to her as Nethial continued to slowly back away from him, a coldness seeping into his eyes that hinted at the beginning of mental detachment. "You aren't trying to leave, are you?" He questioned icily, taking a step towards her as Nethial struggled to control the panic that was starting to rise within her.

Nethial swallowed, trying to think of a way to answer him when she backed up against a wall. She had put herself in a corner now with him closing in fast and little way of escape for her. Deciding to be brave, she took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye, hoping to find some way to bring him back to his senses.

'**This isn't you, Tanui. Snap out of it, please!**' He took another step towards her, his eyes darkening. '**Think of what Ladetis would say!**' She cried, fervently hoping speaking of the dragon, of his mind partner, would bring him back to where he was and make him end whatever he had planned for her.

A low snarl rose from his throat and he lifted a hand, a mental constriction around her throat occurring immediately. She clutched at the affected area, recalling all too well her own anger at Raoul and his near-death by her mental powers, an accident she deeply regretted. Her gaze focused on his eyes, understanding the pain she saw reflected by them as she had felt the same so long ago.

Opening her mouth for the first time in centuries, she fought back against his mental grip on her and somehow managed to scream, "Release me!"

The sound burst from her mouth so clear and pure that it momentarily stunned both of them before Tanui lowered his hand and relaxed his hold on her throat. His eyes glistened with a hardness Nethial had rarely seen during her life but she silently figured out the cause of his sudden change in temperament. It must have been an imperfection passed into him during the cloning process, she realized as he narrowed his gaze and took another step towards her, reaching out and placing a hand on her chest. His fingertips burned as they lightly grazed her skin, making Nethial's panic grow more quickly at the thought of him trying to force her into making love with him.

"A broken shell of an abandoned deserter . . ." He whispered, gazing up into her eyes as she trembled under her own fear of him. "So lost, yet no one heard your cries . . ."

Snarling under her breath, Nethial closed her eyes and jerked her head away, reaching out to Ladetis for help. She couldn't do much more with trying to get Tanui to snap out of it as she was already starting to weaken in her resolve. Tanui withdrew his fingers from her chest and harshly grabbed her chin, the initial pain making her reopen her eyes and stare at him. Not about to go down without a fight, she grabbed his wrist and tore his hand away, her other hand inching toward her sheath.

"Now, now," he chuckled, grabbing her arm before she could grasp her sword and pull it loose, "There is no need for that, not here."

"Stay away from me," Nethial snarled, wishing for Ladetis to hurry up and help her before Tanui did something he would regret.

Tanui released her arm, taking a step back as Nethial narrowed her eyes and hissed softly under her breath. She lunged forward, shoving him backwards as she turned and ran for the building's opening. Her foot barely touched the grass outside before a tighter constriction around her throat forced her to stop and clutch at her neck, a sigh from behind her revealing Tanui's position as she was lifted off the ground by mere inches through his telekinetic powers.

Seconds later, Ladetis came into view, a sphere of poison resting in his jaws as he walked towards them. Nethial flinched at seeing his element, remembering how it felt to lose half of her legs by his uncontrolled venom and the pain that still lingered from what remained of her lower limbs. The pressure around her neck tightened and she squirmed, trying to reach out to the dragonet to make him hurry before she ran out of air.

_Stay where you are poison-wielder_.

From the clouds above them, Cambre, Valur, and Satyr descended, their wings making little sound as they banked to circle Nethial and Tanui. Ladetis halted, reaching out to Nethial to assure her that he had not mentioned anything to the other dragons but that they had acted of their own will. Cambre took the lead position in the formation as the other two drifted back to allow him to focus solely on Nethial, Satyr breaking away to fly above Ladetis as Valur moved to circle Tanui.

Nethial briefly glanced upward to see Cambre watching over her and it warmed her heart, only for her to suddenly struggle for even a breath. She heard Tanui scream in anger behind her and a resounding snarl from Ladetis confirmed the hatchling was trying to reason with his master. Her head felt heavy as colors blurred around her and then everything seemed to fade to black . . .


	49. Unravel

**Chapter 49-Unravel**

Tanui's gaze held steady on Cambre as he heard Nethial collapse to the ground. She was far too weak to have fought against him much longer anyway so it didn't concern him that she had passed out. He felt Ladetis nudge gently at his mind, seeking connection with him as if to calm him down and ease him from his rage. If he had his way, there would be no recovery of his sanity. His fury had been held within for too long, his mind having been slowly breaking apart ever since his initial meeting with Tamli in the ruins of Misery's lab.

A scream of rage tore from his throat and he pulled his sword free, pointing its blade directly at the dark dragon that hovered over Nethial. His teeth clenched and his vision wavered slightly as his mind exploded with pain, causing him to shift his weapon so he could clutch his head with one hand. Ladetis again tried to reach out to him but he shoved the dragon's mental attempt aside with a low growl.

Enraged by the feeling of a coming headache that would likely bring memories of the man he was a clone of, Tanui screamed again and tightened his grip on his sword, cringing in pain as he pulled his broken knuckles, the healing wound flaring up angrily in protest. Cambre growled softly, circling around Nethial to land before him, instructing the other two dragons that had come with the ice healer to take the weakened woman away so she would be safe from his wraith. Tanui heard much of the silent conversation through his persisting link with Ladetis and snarled, assuring himself that the dragon hadn't seen the true extent of his anger.

Allowing the two dragons to carry Nethial away, Ladetis following them a moment later, Tanui hissed with displeasure as he noticed he was now left alone with Cambre, the scale-flier gazing at him with a mixture of concern and pity. He didn't need pity or concern for his well-being because no one had ever cared for him anyway since his creation to become Tamli's destruction. Disgusted at himself, he understood he had failed to kill his own template numerous times now but not because he hadn't tried. Tamli was smart, if inferior to himself, but the original had won in their fight only by luck and the use of aura. He wasn't sure why he couldn't use aura himself but he relied mostly on his sword anyway for protection.

Pain burned more fiercely from his skull and Tanui cried out, dropping his blade as he clutched his head in both hands. He fell to his knees, digging his fingernails into the skin surrounding his brain as if it would ease the agony. Never in his years of training by Amia had he been this crippled, this stricken by something so powerful as to leave him ensnared in its grasp. Memories and voices from the past life of original hybrid ravaged him mercilessly, the excruciating misery finally driving him to the ground as he curled into a ball, trembling despite the situation. He heard Cambre snort softly above him, the dragon probably amused by just how low he had fallen. Once the aguish faded, he reasoned as he squeezed his eyes shut, he would see to the beast's death personally.

"Make it stop," he snarled, pressing his palms harder against his skull. "Please, just make it stop!"

Cambre's warm breath assaulted him from above and Tanui squeezed tighter into a ball, shaking now as the pain from his head was starting to block out anything else. He slowly relaxed his grip on one hand, drawing back his arm to smell the lingering scent of fresh blood under his fingernails. Having that smell wash over him only put him over the edge again as he screamed, thrashing around until he landed on his back, lowering his other hand to rest on the grass-covered ground. His eyes cracked open slightly, allowing him to see the dragon watching his every move.

_How long have you hidden this . . . weakness? _Cambre rumbled as another stab of pain in his skull caused Tanui to cringe and shut his eyes.

"Long enough," he spat back, wishing the aching in his mind would fade so he could be rid of the pesky dragon and get back to claiming his dominance over Nethial.

_Attor mentioned to me before his death of your identity as a clone. Perhaps that has something to do with-_

Tanui clutched at his head again as he rose to a sitting position, his body shaking so strongly that Cambre abruptly ended his thought and went over to the clone. Shoving away the dragon's snout when it neared him, he managed to force himself to stand back up even as he grimaced. He wasn't on his feet long before exhaustion set in and he collapsed to the ground, consciousness fleeing from him despite how strongly he wanted to wait out whatever was happening to him . . .

* * *

><p>Nethial's first memory that came to mind once she regained consciousness was of how Tanui had lost control and had come after her. She couldn't believe he had been going insane since before they had met, but she had to consider the possibly as she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. From where she had fallen unconscious, the area that met her gaze looked very much different.<p>

She was inside a darkened room, a single candle beside her barely providing enough light for her to make out the contents of the chamber she had awoken within. From what she could gather, the four walls of the area were a light brown, with the door leading outside a much darker shade. Her bed was propped up against the corners of the southern and western walls, the entryway apparently located on the northern one. The candle she saw that was next to her was sitting on a small table, its wooden surface covered with carvings and splatters of something she thought might be paint.

Suddenly a commotion outside her room sparked her interest and Nethial sat up to better hear the voices beyond the door. Listening for a moment, she realized that the individuals she was hearing were using a language she was unfamiliar with and that trying to understand and translate it was starting to make her head hurt.

A sharp knock on her door startled Nethial and she hissed, reaching down to her waist to draw her sword . . . only to realize it wasn't there and neither was its sheath. Her mind preoccupied by the loss of her weapon, she failed to see the door open and admit a large dragon into her chamber. Only when she heard the sound of its tail swishing over the floor did she glance in its direction to see two grey eyes staring back at her.

'**Cambre**,' she whispered softly, mostly to assure herself that it was him. '**How did I get here? Where is here?**'

The dragon snorted in amusement, crossing over to lay down beside her bed. _Patience, broken one. I had Valur and Satyr bring you here after you collapsed, hoping to get you away from Tanui for your own safety. You are still shaky from your encounter with him earlier, correct?_

Nethial nodded, admitting that she was still conflicted over his behavior as she rubbed her neck gently and felt the presence of fabric bound around the area. She hesitated at first but then reached along her chest to find that the searing touch left by Tanui had left large burns that had also been wrapped up to prevent infection. Cambre growled softly in comfort and understanding before confessing to his one-on-one with the clone and how he wanted Tanui to be kept under strict security until they figured out what to do with him.

"I want to see him," Nethial requested as she slid out of bed, her metal feet touching the floor with a small click that brought a faint smile to her face.

_Of course_, Cambre hummed, nudging her with his snout as the warmth in his eyes calmed her racing heart over meeting the one that had tried to kill her. _I see you have now taken to using your voice instead of metal communication, very impressive. I would like to accompany you, just to be safe though._

"You wouldn't be so impressed if you knew why I finally opened my mouth again since my rebirth," she whispered softly, "but, nonetheless, I would have asked you to come with me anyway." Cambre growled softly in understanding and then stood, following her out of the small room after pausing long enough to give her a black cloak to put on to mask her injuries that had been bandaged to prevent questions from arising.

* * *

><p>It felt like a thousand pins were burrowing deep into his skull, Tanui realized as he awoke to find himself laying down and chained to a brick floor, his legs free but his hands held by cuffs that were shackled down to the ground before him. The area he was in was small, a four-walled jail cell with metal bars placed so he couldn't squeeze through them. He wanted so badly to cradle his head in his hands, so much so that he rested his forehead against the cool stone under him in hope of finding relief. Upon the sudden opening of his cell by the way of a small section of one of the side walls, he barely looked up, choosing to remain pressing himself against the refreshing surface.<p>

_You might want to get up_, Cambre snarled as Tanui's gaze dropped to study the brick laying before him, hearing two different set of footsteps enter the room before the door closed again.

"I prefer my current position," he retorted, the pain in his skull flaring up strongly as he caught Nethial's scent wafer and mingle with the earthy tones of the dragon's odor. "Besides, I thought you wanted to kill me. Why bring an audience to witness one death?"

Cambre snorted angrily, his tail sliding within inches of Tanui's face. _I'm not here to kill you. I want answers, and so does she._

Hearing the dragon mention Nethial made Tanui take enough interest to angle his face so he could see her. She was lingering closely to Cambre's side, a bandage around both her neck and her chest that was mostly covered by a black cloak that she had somehow found between their last meeting and now. He knew why she would need one for her throat, to cover the bruises left by his near-strangling of her, but he wasn't sure the reason for the wrapping on her ribs.

"How long have you known something wasn't right about me?" Tanui asked, dropping his gaze from her as he felt ashamed of what he had done.

"I didn't know right away . . . it took time for me to start to realize there was something going on. Ladetis never told me," Nethial admitted, her soft voice washing over him like a cool breeze, soothing his agonizing skull by some amount. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

He ignored the question, realizing he had to tell them the truth. "Amia thought I was the best of the clones he created, a true 'perfect' match for Tamli. He didn't realize how dangerous I really was," Tanui muttered, closing his eyes as he waited for his damaged mind to start playing tricks on him by showing him more images of the past he struggled so hard to forget.

Only when he didn't feel anything did he continue, "I guess the first moment came when I witnessed Tamli and Amia enter the place my master had said could be our refuge. He had left me in charge of nine other clones, each more inferior than the one before it, but I managed to get them to spy on the two as they made their way through the destroyed lab. Once he threatened the life of the one he used to make us, I just snapped . . . losing myself for the first time and going in there without much of a plan at all besides protecting the hybrid."

He paused, taking an opportunity to glance at Nethial to see how she was enjoying herself in learning about his downfall. Her face was a mask of silence but he could see in her eyes that she pitied him for what had happened to him. Curling one hand, he drew a breath, only to have it hiss out a moment later as a spasm of agony rippled through him, making him get to his knees and strain frantically to cup his head in his hands.

Nethial's cry of shock numbed him, reminding him that he had nearly violated her when they had been alone and the first strains of his madness had crept back over him. How could she still find it within herself to care about him when he might have easily killed her? After a few moments, the feeling passed and he dropped back to the ground, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he sought out Nethial through weary eyes.

"I . . . killed Amia during the fight. I had to, otherwise he would have destroyed Tamli and something in me couldn't stand that happening. Looking back on it now, I suppose I should have fought against my impulse to save him and consider the situation first before jumping into the fray. Anyway, I felt normal for most of the time after that until I slaughtered two of the three eggs Verdra had laid, being interrupted before I could finish and leaving only one that turned out to be Ladetis's egg. I was so enraged that I had failed so miserably to kill all three dragonets that I punched a wall in my anger and shattered the knuckles of my right hand, a damage that is still healing . . ."

_That explains your pained grimace when you moved your sword to your right hand to place your left on your head. I thought that you were merely . . . going mad_, Cambre confessed as Tanui closed his eyes, struggling to sit up into a kneeling position.

"I was losing it when I did that but it was mostly to try and soothe my aching skull," Tanui whispered, returning his head to the floor as a new surge of agony rattled through him. "I struggled to control myself after then, finding it more of a challenge once Ladetis bonded with me and our minds became linked. I still remained surprised he never questioned me about the times when I would drift off and stay still for hours . . . But despite that, the challenge to keep myself together grew even harder when I first met you, Nethial. I saw how unhinged you were and tried to reason with myself on my own mentality, hoping you wouldn't discover and turn away from me."

He heard a quiet sob from Nethial and fell silent, wishing he hadn't said anything now with how upset she had to be towards him. She had nearly been killed by him and yet he was admitting, in not as many words as he would like, that he loved her. It had to be a hard time for her with all that had gone on recently.

"I'm sorry, Nethial. So sorry for everything I've caused. If you don't want to forgive me then I understand."

Closing his eyes, Tanui trembled as distorted voices ravaged his mind, making him forget he was being questioned by the woman he loved and the dragon he had sworn to kill. He heard Amia's cruel laughter all around him and he growled, shaking his head and pulling at the chains that kept his hands secured to the floor.

"No," he snarled, his eyes forcing themselves open as his pupils contracted into tiny specks, leaving his red irises wide with fear and hysteria. "No! Leave me alone!"

He screamed, pulling the chain frantically as flashes of the original hybrid's life marred his thoughts. The muscles in his neck bulged as he raised his head, his gaze unsteady as he searched for something he couldn't even see. Ominous laughter further rattled him and he squeezed his eyes shut, shaking in fear of his own mental breakdown.

Just when he thought he couldn't handle it anymore, he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder. He gasped in surprise, opening his eyes slightly to see that Nethial had walked over to him and was now comforting him. She must not have been too upset at him, he reasoned as she noticed his gaze had fallen on her and she smiled.

"I want to forgive you but give me some time," she whispered softly in his ear, squatting down beside him to rub his back as he relaxed and hung his head in shame. "You shouldn't have to bare this alone, Tanui."

Despite himself, Tanui sniffled and shook his head slowly, unable to meet her steady gaze. The voices in his mind snarled angrily at his weakness and urged him to shove her away, wanting him to fight back and kill both of the inferior beings in the room. He had to hold onto his sanity for as long as he could, for both of their sakes.

"No one else knows," he muttered, mostly directing the words at himself for how he had hidden this from Nethial for so long. "I try to stay sane but I feel _it_ constantly tearing away at who I am. Maybe Cambre should have killed me anyway? You wouldn't have to deal with an insane clone then . . ."

Nethial's grip on his shoulder tightened, her nails digging into his soft flesh and making him hiss in pain. The laughter quieted slowly, further tormenting him as he kneeled there grimacing in pain. He couldn't cushion his aching head in his hands as he wanted to and it angered him but he realized Cambre probably had been smart when ordering that he be chained to the floor. His energy was all but drained from him anyway yet the dragon couldn't risk him going on a killing spree in a bout of insanity.

"You are who you are, sane or not. Cambre and the others will find a way to help you-"

"And if I don't want help?" He snapped back, his vermillion eyes finding her grey irises and locking onto them. "I don't know how long I have until my sanity completely vanishes!"

_While that explains much of your lack of attention when I went to retrieve you after Nethial's reconstruction I still want more answers. However, I feel you have been through enough . . . My views may not be right on this but we must take that risk_, Cambre interjected, humming softly as the bindings around Tanui's wrists fell away in a clatter of noise.

Rubbing his arms, his body tensing as he feared the return of the voices again, Tanui sighed in thanks to the dark dragon for releasing him from his confinement. Cambre's snort of amusement moments later, however, darkened his mood and he placed his hands on his knees as a slight quiver shook his exhausted frame. Nethial lingered by his side a few minutes longer before she stood and went over to the side of the cell that had let them enter.

"Get some rest," she commanded gently before she left, waiting for Cambre to follow after her before the cell door slammed shut, the noise taking the last bit of sanity he had been holding onto while they had been with him.

The voices immediately started back up, their disorientated disturbance driving him to cover his head with his hands to block out their ravings. A moan escaped him as he slid back against one of the walls, his hands lifting away from his skull to cross his arms over his knees before he bowed his head into the pocket he had made with his own body. He felt terrible all over, not just because of the situation with himself but also because of how he had treated Nethial when she had come to get answers about his mental state. He honestly loved her but he was afraid he was now driving her away instead of trying to hold together enough to be with her. Attacking her hadn't helped his situation nor had pushing away his dragon when it only wanted to comfort him.

"You really thought you had a chance with her?"

Hearing the unexpected voice caused him to raise his head, blinking back tears as he glanced around to see no one in the prison cell besides himself. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"This is a hopeless venture you know." A different voice replied, sounding as if it had come from right beside him.

Tanui jerked his head toward the sound, only to see nothing beside him. He snarled, forcing himself to his feet as the room spun around him, his hand reaching out to grasp the bars beside him for security. Once his head cleared and the chamber seemed to come to a stop, a ragged and distorted scream ripped from his throat at his predicament.

The same laughter from before pricked at the back of his skull and he whirled around angrily, only to catch himself on the metal bars to prevent himself from passing out. His limbs burned and small flashes of pain bursted through his mind, driving him to his knees as he hung his head in defeat.

"How could a dysfunctional clone know anything about being normal?" The voice taunted as Tanui lurched forward, slamming into the steel that held him inside the room, the impact knocking the wind out of him.

Dazed and barely conscious, he struggled to get his breath back and respond with a sharp remark. Unfortunately, his body had taken enough stress from the day's events and he soon collapsed, darkness falling over him . . .


	50. Shattered

**Chapter 50-Shattered**

The days passed slowly for Nethial as she recovered from her wounds, both physical and emotional. A month later, her neck still stung to the touch after the brutal attack but most of the bruises had faded by then, the lingering sensitivity the only visible reminder of Tanui's attack, other than her scarred chest from his touch that had left burns on her skin. She hadn't been able to do much with the tender patches of flesh that continued to assure her that the clone wasn't mentally stable anymore. Cambre told her the wounds would heal in time but as she slipped into a light grey tunic her mind whispered of how the dragon might be wrong. Her hands brushed past the tightly bound white bandages that kept the inflamed skin protected from infection and she hastily yanked the flowing cloth down to cover her body. Not wanting to risk anyone asking questions, she grabbed a pair of black pants from the table she had become used to seeing a candle on and pulled them on as well, twisting to grab a leather belt that lay a little out of her reach . . .

A stretch that was too much for her and she screamed, her hands going to her tender chest as the wound pulsed angrily in protest at the movement. Cambre had warned her about what she could and could not do but she still was too stubborn to pay attention to him. Snarling under her breath at her stupidity, Nethial turned and bent over to grab what she had been after, securing it tightly over her waist before clipping her recovered sheath into its rightful place on her hip. The dragons had went back to the site of the fight and found it after Tanui had been brought in to be held under strict security, giving it to her only after she had recovered enough to not break down after seeing the distraught clone fight through one of his moments of insanity. It was still hard for her to watch him struggle against something she knew so well even after a solid month had passed since he had told her the truth about hiding it from all of them.

Shaking her head, Nethial sighed and sat down on the bed, flexing her metal feet carefully as she pondered how Ladetis was handling the separation from his master. Staying in the same room she had when she had first arrived here for as long as she had, she knew most of the dragons that worked to heal those that needed treatment, the only real reason she hadn't left the hidden recovery center yet besides Tanui having remained here for just as long. Unfortunately, his mind was breaking apart more rapidly, at least according to Cambre and Valur, and sane moments for him were very rare.

Pushing herself up from the small framed mattress, she paused briefly to grab the same weathered black cloak Cambre had given her on the first day of her stay at the location before leaving the room. Her eyes scanned the barren white hallway outside the door and she sighed before turning left and starting to walk down the lonely corridor towards where Tanui was held. It didn't take her long to get to the jailed section of the building and she stopped just inside the large rounded room to make mental contact with Ladetis. The dragonet hadn't taken kindly to being told his master was going insane and so the first few days following Tanui's reveal had been tense with a fear that the poison-welder would attack the secret cavern network to get to his rider.

Ladetis hadn't attacked them but he had grown quiet in the weeks following, a sense of depression lingering over his thoughts every time Nethial talked with him. She felt bad for him having to watch as the only one he cared for was being broken down before him and she tried her best to keep him informed on the daily life at the center since he couldn't be there to see with his own eyes. He had found a teacher in the short time since the attack, Satyr agreeing to work with him on his poisonous abilities and how to control them. Nethial was silently glad he was receiving training for his element, the painful memory of his attack on her washing over her every time she glanced at her metal legs.

Nethial sighed as she leaned against the wall right inside the room, watching as various dragons moved around in their cages, each held for some different crime that they had committed, although most were just retained for slaughtering a fellow scale-flier in cold blood. She wished Tanui's punishment was that simple but knew he was under his own nightmarish destruction from within his own mind. The thought of his mental state sent a chill up her spine and she wrapped the frayed black cloak tighter around her body, wishing the white fledgling would respond to her quickly so she could check on how the clone was doing for the day.

_It has been a while since we talked_, Ladetis hummed gently as Nethial closed her eyes, tilting her head back to lean against the white wall behind her, enjoying hearing the deep growl of the hatchling's mind once again touch her own.

_It's been a few days_, she replied softly, hearing the sound of metal scraping against metal as the captives were each given an evaluation to see how they were doing, a process done daily to ensure sickness remained a low concern. _Anything new going on with your training?_

_Not really much of interest. Satyr told me that I am already surpassing the talent of many of the dragonets she has trained in previous years, but that doesn't surprise me given my lineage._

Nethial chuckled softly under her breath at his comment, sensing a much happier mind set for the dragon than in recent weeks. _I'm glad for you_, she admitted as she rubbed her neck absentmindedly.

_Any word on Tanui? _His use of his master's name surprised Nethial at first, having expected him to refer to the clone as 'master' as the dragon always did during their discussions.

_None yet. I came early so we might not know for a few more hours. I hope it's a good day for him . . . _

The dragon snorted, appalled.__ You know those are rare. Cambre and Valur both told you to not get your hopes up. __

Ladetis's brutality shocked her but then she understood why he had seemed in such a better mood at the start of their talk. He must have known she didn't like sensing his depressed state over his master's decline and tried to make himself seem happy to get her distracted so she wouldn't feel his usual weariness as the topic turned to Tanui.

_I know_, she muttered, disappointed in the white fledgling for trying to deceive her. _I still have hope that maybe things can turn around, that we can get him back . . . _

_I wish I had your enthusiasm_, Ladetis growled before leaving her alone in the room as he had to cut off their mental communication short because of something Satyr wanted him to get to work on concerning his training.

Nethial shook her head sadly as she opened her eyes, glancing toward the direction of Tanui's cell, the farthest back and also the most secluded due to his violent outbursts and fits of rage. She waited a couple of minutes before making her way over to the isolated area, hoping he had already been seen for the day and that she could go in and try to talk to him. As she neared, she saw two dragons exit the room, one of them Cambre and the other a pale blue dragon who she knew to be the main individual in charge of keeping a check on Tanui. Her pace doubled at seeing both of them standing together, possibly talking between themselves about the man she was starting to hold out hope for and wishing there was any sign of recovery.

"I'm sorry I arrived late," she apologized as she stopped before them and Cambre's gaze flickered to meet her own, a low snarl rising from his jaws at her interruption of them.

_It is not a problem_, the lighter colored dragon growled as Cambre relaxed, his eyes still fixated on her despite her admittance of being behind schedule for getting to see Tanui first thing in the morning. _I was just going over with Cambre the status of the clone this morning. Would you like to know?_

"Yes, if it doesn't cause any trouble," Nethial muttered as her gaze dropped to the ground, ashamed to even be asked if she wanted to know how Ladetis's rider was doing.

_It never has been inconvenient, Nethial._

_Get to the point, Aldi_, Cambre grumbled, tapping the floor with the end of his tail.

The dragon snorted, swinging his head over to Nethial for her to see his green irises in full glory. _Fine, fine. He hasn't improved much but he hasn't declined anymore for the moment. Psychosis still remains a big part of his lack of communication but he seemed to register my presence this morning during my evaluation of him._

Despite herself, Nethial grinned, finding hope in Aldi's words that the man she wanted to come back to them was trying his hardest to find a way to return. "So I can go on in and see him?"

_I don't see why not._

Slipping past the two dragons, thanking them for allowing her to see him as she did so, Nethial pulled open the door to his cage and stepped inside, shutting it behind her as she listened for any sign of Tanui. She didn't have to wait long to hear him, his voice low but terribly grating as she found him crouched in a corner, his eyes wide and unfocused.

"No . . . I wouldn't . . . You can't . . . Leave me alone."

Removing her cloak, Nethial gently lowered the fabric to the ground before she took a step towards him, only to bring out a snarl from the clone as he pressed harder into the metal bars behind him. He shook slightly, his shrunken pupils nearly lost under the blaze of his red irises.

"I should kill you."

Nethial hesitated at hearing the venom in his tone, his voice becoming steadier as his eyes closed, his head tilting back to rest against the thick shafts of steel used to make the cell escape-proof. She shook off the remark, going over to him and stroking his hair as he jerked under her touch, grimacing as visions plagued him from within his tortured mind. Having been mad for a time, she understood his plight to an extent, wishing she could do something to take away his pain.

_Master_, Ladetis growled softly from within Nethial's mind, Tanui's condition leaving the dragon unable to have direct mental contact with him. _We care about you, even in your darkest hours. Come back to us, we need you._

Tanui thrashed violently, slapping away Nethial's hand and curling up on the floor, trembling severely. Nethial sighed, moving away as she watched him twitch and grasp at his head, moaning occasionally in distress. She wanted to help him and knew Ladetis was in agreement with her on that subject but she hadn't figured out a way to be of any use. It was clear he was spiraling out of control, his mental state deteriorating each day by some degree. Having held himself so rigidly for so long, she wasn't very surprised at how quickly things had fallen apart once he attacked her and revealed he knew about his decaying condition.

A scream tore from his lips and Nethial blinked, finding his eyes open once more and fixated on her. His chest heaved as if he was trying to catch his breath, but he seemed calmer as he pulled himself up by using the metal bars right next to him. One hand still clutched at his head but his eyes looked more normal than they had in weeks, the black of his pupils able to be distinguished from the unnatural red of his irises.

"Nethial," he whispered as a slight tremble racked his frame. "You came."

She reached for him, patting his leg as she realized just how much he knew of daily events. He probably didn't remember much since his initial revelation of his mental state but it only made her ache for him more.

"I won't leave you," she assured him as Tanui rested his head against the walls of his prison.

"I can't promise you the same."

"I know." Her admittance of that fact made her think back to Ladetis and how he had given up hope when she still fought for the man she loved. Loyalties were easy broken in the wake of medical concerns, something she knew all too well from her own experience.

Enjoying their time together despite the shape he was in, Nethial flinched when Tanui hissed suddenly, grasping his head as he closed his eyes. "Go!" He commanded raspily, visibly shaking as he pressed his back harder against the steel bars behind him.

Her hesitation must have shown because a low growl rattled his frame before he screamed, begging her to get away before he fully lost it and went after her again. The message stuck in her head as Nethial whirled around, pausing for only a few seconds to grab her cloak and glance back at him before she hurried out of the cell.

Aldi and Cambre were waiting for her right outside the door and she took a few minutes to collect herself before she looked up at them. The one who had rebuilt her was struggling to control his rage, she noticed as the tip of his tail twitched rapidly, a low growl rising from his throat.

_You could have been killed_, Cambre snapped, locking one grey iris on her as Nethial tossed her cloak on, holding her ground against the fierce stare. _I told you to not get your hopes up but you still go in there every day like you want a death wish. Get it through your head that he's insane!_

_Cambre, maybe you're a little harsh on the girl-_

The ice dragon snarled in protest, cutting off Aldi._ _I am not. She needs to get it through her thick skull that the man that saved her isn't here anymore. He's been fading for weeks, losing more of himself as time passes. __

"You're wrong," Nethial whispered, curling one hand tightly into a fist as she tried to not shake with rage. "I will find a way to bring him back . . ."

_He can't be brought back. There's nothing to recover! _

Aldi's green eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting from Cambre to Nethial._ _It is worth a try. Maybe there isn't anything we can do but it will buy us some time to help him. Nethial, you may go and search for answers on how to slow the progression of his madness. __

_This is crazy! You're letting her do this_, Cambre snarled, his eyes gleaming with hidden fury.

_I have the right to let her, Cambre. The clone's dragon and her are free to do what they want, within reason_, Aldi hummed, inclining his head toward Nethial and nudging her gently with his snout. _Go and see what you can find out. _

"Of course, Aldi," Nethial muttered as he took a step back, raising his head back up as she nodded and then walked past, glaring at Cambre as she passed him.

_I will let Satyr know to have the dragon ready for you_, Aldi called out after her and a smile broke out on Nethial's face before she left the chamber, a plan forming in her mind of how to find out information.

* * *

><p>Ladetis met her outside the facility, a deep rumble resounding from his throat as Nethial filled him in on everything that had happened since the morning. The hatchling was concerned over Cambre's reaction to her plan to go find information and he voiced his uncertainty as she climbed up on him and relaxed, finding the motion natural to her body even after losing most of her legs.<p>

The white hatchling growled as he flared his wings, rushing off the ground in a burst of wind the next minute. Nethial found herself clinging to the spine before her from the force of his lunge into the air as they left the island behind and set a course back to the mainland, per her instructions.

_What is the plan? _He asked as they settled into a long flight over crystal clear water, white clouds drifting high above them as the dragon hung close to the liquid below to gain more speed.

_We return to the Corruption-controlled cavern where you found me. That clone Tanui nearly strangled should be able to give us information, one way or another. _

_You plan to endanger him?_ Ladetis questioned, his wingtips skimming and occasionally dipping into the clear water under them.

_Not unless I have to_, Nethial whispered, thinking back to how Tanui had seemed during her meeting with him. _I'd rather not have innocent blood on my hands if I can help it, at least not his . . ._

Ladetis snorted, pulling upward to settle into an air current. _Gregal isn't Tanui, Nethial. He may look the same, may be a clone of Tamli just as my master is, but he's not the one we know and love. _

A sigh escaped her as Nethial closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. She wondered just how Ladetis could see the difference between the clones, between identical versions of the most powerful dragon-human hybrid to exist. It wasn't so easy for her to think of another fellow clone of her former love as someone who wasn't Tanui. With his memory impaired and the mental separation of identity from the original steadily growing worse, there had to be others like him who were going through the same thing.

_I never truly knew something was wrong until it was too late_, she muttered softly as Ladetis hummed gently, comforting her mentally as the open sea before them stretched on for miles, meeting the very edge of the horizon . . .


	51. Escape

**Chapter 51-Escape**

Tanui's return to consciousness was not a pleasant experience by any means as he found that he had somehow burrowed himself into the side of his cell, his back bracing against the steel bars as tightly as possible. He gently slid away from the metal and stretched out, cringing in pain as he loosened the tension in his body as much as he could. Muscles protested in the movement but he soon felt able to move without being gripped in a spasm of agony, a welcome feeling that he took advantage of as he sat up, looking down at his arms as he crossed them over his lap to see that someone had bound white cloth on his right hand from his broken knuckles to his wrist.

Clutching his knees, Tanui hissed as quiet laughter from within his mind confirmed to him that he hadn't escaped from his living nightmare, the mental decay still present and growing worse with each passing day. He had hoped for so long he would be free from the destruction of identity that Amia had warned him about, free to act as himself even though he was a clone. As long as he still had moments when he was sane, he would fight to keep himself together as he had before everything had fallen apart.

His thoughts were interrupted by Cambre's entrance into his cell, the dragon barging in and glaring at him as though he was the cause of something that had happened while he had been unconscious. Getting to his feet as the door to his holding area slammed shut loudly, Tanui retreated a step as a low growl from the ice healer rattled him.

_I promised we would talk more about your . . . decline once I had given you time to adjust, per Nethial's instructions. Now with her being gone . . . _

Tanui narrowed his eyes, fixating his gaze on the blue-black scale-flier. "What do you mean she's gone?" He rasped, finding it hard to speak.

_She left the island with Ladetis, intent on finding a way to help you. Nothing I say to her has worked, she still wants to help someone who isn't even consciously there anymore . . ._

Despite himself, Tanui found he was trembling after hearing the words so harshly spoken about his current state. A low growl escaped him as he clenched his left hand into a fist, the wrapping around his right making it unable to move very much at all. Cambre had the nerve to insult him to his face, to blame him solely on Nethial leaving.

"Take back what you said," he hissed, feeling his anger spike as the voices started up again.

"He's right . . . No one would ever trust a mentally unstable clone."

"Quiet," Tanui snarled, bringing his right hand up to his head. "Stay quiet. I need to concentrate."

Cambre snorted in amusement. _Exactly my point. You're already gone but she can't seem to realize that fact. It's a shame really, I enjoyed having you around when you were purpose-driven but now . . ._

Lunging at him, Tanui allowed his anger to feed his fury as he collided with the massive dragon. The impact knocked the wind from him but Cambre merely tossed him aside, sending him crashing into one of the sides of his cell. Dazed from the crushing blow, he blinked and wearily raised his head, only to get shoved up against the metal bars by a single mental thought from the scaled creature.

Unable to get a moment to recover after his rash move against the one who had restored Nethial to a semi-healed state, Tanui glared at the dragon as he panted, chest heaving even while his fury grew upon itself. Letting out a scream of rage, he concentrated all of his energy on himself as he willed his body to change into the less common dragon forme he had also copied from the original hybrid. Slowly his skin morphed, turning darker and becoming tougher as the outline of scales gradually appeared. Twin shards of bone expanded and broke the skin side-by-side on his back as each piece rose into the curved base of a single pair of wings, smaller pieces forming later as flexible softer skin flowed over the entire section and stretched tightly to ensure a complete working appendage. A tiny spike rose from the base of each large bone-wing shaft, its white coloration vastly contrasting with the black of the rest of his body as it turned into the natural proportions of a dragon.

With his wings done, another shard of bone grew and broke the skin along his lower back, tapering down to a single point as newly made skin flowed over it and soon covered it in the black scales that had been derived from the color of his hair. A row of tiny white spikes grew and rose from his back, following the contours of his spine as the ivory pikes narrowed severely as they met the base of his tail, draping off into small nubs, while the largest ones rested between his shoulder blades and his newly formed wings. His transformation continued as his legs shortened but grew more muscular as four sharp white claws extended from the rounded edge of the front of each new foot. The chest cavity increased in size as important body parts moved around slightly as some grew larger to accompany his new form, the sensation a pleasant one for Tanui as he used his anger as fuel for his shifting into dragon forme. Arms elongated and, like with the feet, sharp claws grew out from where had once been fingers, three ivory talons on each forepaw.

His head was perhaps the most changed of his body, its appearance shifting drastically in shape and length as the dragon blood in his being crafted his new forme from years of being among the scaled creatures. The same red irises that made him so stunning as a human remained mostly untouched as his neck grew longer to accompany his now larger skull, the full transformation taking less than five minutes and with little pain felt by Tanui during the turning of human into dragon. Landing to the ground with a gentle flap of his new wings, he glanced at Cambre as the ice healer retreated a step in shock, dropping its mental hold and letting him loose.

Standing at his full height, Tanui was about six-and-a-half feet tall from shoulder to the floor, where Cambre was only six feet tall but considerably more skilled. Whirling around, Tanui's tail slapped down on the release for the door to his cell, the resounding beep making the wall to his left slide away. He leapt for it, only to be intercepted by Cambre as the ice dragon jumped in front of him and pushed him back with raw strength, making Tanui retreat a few steps to regain his balance. Raw energy rose from within him and he opened his maw, releasing a stream of crackling red electricity that plowed into the unsuspecting dragon, temporarily immobilizing Cambre.

Using the burst of his newfound element as a distraction, Tanui shoved himself past Cambre and slid out into the hall, eyes narrowed and glancing around for the threat of an attack. His skull felt as if thousands of tiny shards of light were piercing into it but he ignored the sensation as best he could and leapt down the hall, getting halted by two security dragons. Slowing to a stop, he heard the harsh snarl of the ice healer behind him and risked a glance to see the blue-black scale-flier rapidly advancing towards him. Both paths were blocked, he realized as he turned around, facing Cambre as he slid his tail across the marbled floor.

_There's nowhere to run now_, Cambre growled as Tanui lowered his head, baring his teeth as he raised his tail and retreated a step.

_Is there? _

Within seconds, he turned and sent two quick bursts of electricity at the pair of dragons that stood behind him before glancing behind him to roar in challenge to the ice healer. Tearing down the hallway again, after making sure the two security scale-fliers were dead from the electrical shock he had launched directly at their hearts, Tanui finally spotted an entryway into the building. Dodging a shard of ice from behind him, he leapt towards the open area and out into a mountainous terrain as the night sky above him shone softly with the light from millions of tiny stars. Lifting his wings high, his gaze frantically searched for something he could use to jump off of to take to the air.

Another blast of ice hit the ground right beside him and he turned, realizing that Cambre had finally caught up with him. The blue-black scale-flier slowly advanced as Tanui retreated, curving his wings around his frame to make himself appear larger; he snarled softly as agony burned through his mind and the voices, while strangely silent during his shift into dragon forme, began their distractive chatter once more. He wished for some kind of relief but knew there was nothing that could be done to reverse the damage already inflicted to himself. Red eyes blazed as he drew himself up to full height, his nostrils flaring as Cambre let loose another burst of ice.

Shoving himself off the ground and seeking refuge in the air momentarily, Tanui twisted, arching his neck as he unleashed a torrential stream of electricity down on Cambre. Wings beating frantically, he threw himself into a dive, ramming into the older dragon with enough force to knock both of them to the ground. The blue-black scale-flier was back on its feet first and retreated silently into the shadows of the opening to the facility Tanui had been locked in for weeks, leaving the clone struggling to regain his senses. Snarling harshly in both anger and pain, he sent another burst of electricity towards the ice beast, only for the attack to miss its mark and leave Tanui panting to catch his breath.

_I expected better_, Cambre taunted as Tanui glanced around for the dragon, finally getting back on his feet as his legs trembled from exhaustion.

_Show yourself_, he snarled, folding his wings tight against his back and whirling around as he heard the sound of talons click against loose stones.

_Why? So you can escape again? I've seen creatures similar to you, how they lose everything they ever had because of madness. You were right, I should have killed you . . ._

A snarl of defiance rose from his throat and Tanui lashed out, letting loose a massive stream of electricity towards the direction he had seen Cambre retreat into. Smoke rose into the air as the strike burned into a pile of rocks, revealing that the dragon had moved from his location during the taunting.

_Stop hiding! _Tanui roared, shrieking a moment later and retreating several steps back as pain seared through his mind.

The quiet laughter that aggravated him so much rose in volume and he jerked his head up, closing his eyes as he quivered. Agony tore through him but something in him kept him on his feet as memories ripped into him, tearing away at his sanity further as he growled softly. He had to hold onto what he knew . . . He was a clone, a product of a former rider's disgust at society and at one individual in particular.

He loathed Tamli, hated the original hybrid with all his being. Why wouldn't the man die already? It would be so much easier if it was just him . . . no trying to be superior and having to fight memories that drove him to madness. But how could he forget about Nethial? He loved her so much but . . .

"Such a weak fool to believe she cares anything for you," the same irritating voice as before in his cell whispered as he shook his head, reopening his eyes as the blazing red of his irises seemed to consume his tiny pupils.

_Leave me alone! _He screamed, flaring his wings and leaping from the rocky terrain into the sky, letting himself be lost in visions he tried so desperately to forget . . .

* * *

><p>Tamli jolted awake in a cold sweat, panting heavily as he sat up and pressed a hand against his chest. It was the same dream every night but why now did it startle him so badly? He knew the clones were a problem yet what he saw . . . terrified him beyond words. Unspeakable acts committed by his darker 'brother' that would, ultimately, lead to them meeting in a final deadly battle. Was it the thought of having to face himself that made his body tremble so violently?<p>

He wasn't sure anymore, not after having witnessed the death of the same man who had cloned him be killed by the copies that were created. Amia's feral scream of defiance still rang loud in his mind even now, but maybe the thoughts of Tanui still being out there had conjured the memories. Sighing in exhaustion, he let his gaze drop to the white sheets he clutched tightly in his hands, relaxing his grip as he raise a hand and ran it through his hair. A brief snort from beside him made him jump and it took him a moment to remember that his dragon was now sleeping by his side nightly for their joined protection.

Finca lay right beside him, curled protective around the small cot that served as his temporary bed until the whole issue with his memory was sorted out. Making himself relax ever so slightly, he felt his heart still race frantically as he blinked, pushing back the soft fabric as he swung his legs over to the floor, feeling the cool stone under his toes. Wearing only a pair of black shorts, he placed his hands firmly on his knees and took a moment to catch his breath as he sat on the edge of the mattress. Hesitant, he reached out to his dragon partner, still not wanting to accept that they were together as a mated pair, and gently touched her mind to get her to awaken.

_It's the middle of the night, love. _Tamli released a pent-up sigh, lowering his head as he studied the vast scars that marred the once smooth flesh on his fingers._ _I feel unease from you, little one. What is it? Another burst of memory that's returned? __Finca asked as she lazily blinked open her eyes and brought her head around to stare him directly in the face, having rested inches from his side._Talk to me, please._

Swallowing, he waited a moment longer before looking her in the eye, afraid at what her reaction might be to hearing about his nightmares that had been plaguing him for days. "She's alive."

_Who?_

"The one I saw earlier that you said was Raoul's mother. The girl with the white dragon nearly identical to yourself. The one I watched breathe her last breath."

Finca's sharp intake of breath worried Tamli as her eyes narrowed. _That's impossible! She died, you said so yourself, so how . . ._

"I don't know," he admitted as he stood up. Finca quickly rising and going to his side, her snout brushing up against his arm in comfort. "I just don't know. Somehow . . . somehow it makes sense within my mind but I . . ."

_We need to see Makiar about this_, Finca growled, nudging him forward gently as her warm yellow irises glistened in the near darkness of their sleeping quarters. _Follow me._

Tamli wished he had taken the lead as he let her guide him from the room and down winding corridors until they arrived at a large room, the entire area even darker than their chamber had been. Smoke trailed along the floor and he stepped closer to the white dragoness, only to hear Finca chuckle softly within their mental link. From within the mist, two yellow irises gleamed menacingly, their color a darker shade of the normal topaz he knew all too well from the gaze of his own dragon.

_Makiar? _Finca growled, taking a step forward into the rolling black vapor that covered the floor._We need to speak with you. _

_What is your reason for coming this late at night?_ The red dragoness hissed in questioning, her voice sounding much darker than when Tamli had last heard it.

_My mate has come across very disturbing news, great one. The former love he had a child with is somehow alive, although further details are unknown at this point._

Makiar snorted in amusement. _This concerns me to what extent? It is of no issue unless she makes her appearance known, which I doubt would be the case. _A sense of heaviness surrounded Tamli, making his skin crawl and leaving him slightly queasy. _Now leave me._

Tamli felt a tremble of anger surge through Finca's body but she suppressed it long enough until they had left the room, snarling in rage as soon as the closeness of the main corridor enclosed them once again. He wasn't as irritated as she was, mostly distracted by how unnatural their conversation had gone with the ruby dragoness. Whatever he had witnessed had not been normal, he realized as his dragon set off down the hallway in search of another who would be able to understand the importance of the knowledge he had discovered through his dreams.

_. . . And what of the clone?_

Startled, Tamli whirled around, finding Finca engaged in conversation with Sitedal, the black dragon seeming to be curious in what she was explaining. Walking over, he felt himself being studied by the fear-user but refused to show that he was unnerved by how attentive the dark beast had become since joining their underground group.

_Ah, Tamli, I was just explaining to Sitedal what you had seen in your vision. I assumed you didn't have a problem with me telling others . . ._

**. . . Finca lay dead at his feet; numerous wounds marred her once glistening hide and her neck scales were stained with blood from where the tissue had been sliced open. A large gash stretched down from her throat to her chest, leaving the earth around the area crimson tinged. Lightning tore across the sky as he glanced down at the cracked ground around him, hands shaking so much he clenched them into fists. Harsh laughter from behind him made him turn around, only to flinch at seeing Tanui standing there with the tip of his weapon stained a dark red, a crazed look to his eyes that possibly hinted at mental detachment.**

**"Hope you didn't mind. She was in the way so I took care of the problem," the clone commented as he grinned, lifting the sword high above his head. "Now there's only one left that stands in the way of my greatness . . . Only one that separates me from the role Master placed me in the moment he figured out I was the perfect one."**

**Clacking madly, Tanui lunged for him, the cold steel piercing his body before he even had a chance to draw his own weapon for protection. With his fatal wound burning in pain, the clone withdrew the blade and took a step back, the same grin returning as a glimmer from within the scarlet irises unnerved Tamli. Hissing, he slid to his knees, eyes finding the broken body of his beloved partner even as death's cold embrace washed over him.**

**It was over. He had lost. Everything he fought so hard for was gone. A clone, a copy of himself had been the better of the two . . .**

_Tamli! _Finca's screeching in his mind pulled him back from the vision and he jerked back to attention, falling to his knees as the sheer weight of what he had seen washed over him.

Unable to stop himself, Tamli hung his head and refused to answer his dragon, tears streaming down his face. A clone . . . _Tanui_, he corrected himself, would be the one to bring his death. Stabbed by a sword after the pain of losing his dragon would be enough to bring him within range of the delusional hybrid. A choking sob rose in his throat and he covered his mouth, finally breaking down and letting his emotions spill out over all that he had seen in the vision.

Finca's low hum soothed him slightly as he heard the sound of her unfolding a wing, only to find that she had draped it over him protectively. _What did you see, love? __You can tell me, you know that._

"I saw . . . Tanui unhinged and . . ."

_It makes sense that the clone would be unbalanced_, Sitedal snorted in disgust as Tamli glanced up at the black dragon, marveling at how calm he had remained since they had begun talking about Tanui, mostly due to the fact that the clone had taken Ladetis away and bonded with the fledgling. _A copied individual, no matter the power level, is always at risk of losing their identity and forgetting they are not the one they were cloned from, despite what their damaged mind may tell them. The only reason I know so much about this is because of my mother's involvement with the project, although she came on later and eventually overtook the main operation, seeing as Amia became fixated on another diversion from his goal . . ._

_Raoul_, Finca growled softly, glancing at Tamli from the corner of her eye as he slowly regained his composure. _It makes sense now as to why he was chained up, held by his wrists and isolated from the other clones. Amia must have turned his attention to a direct blood relation, possibly seeking a way to prevent the mental decay the copies were experiencing._

_Mother never mentioned why but Arxa took over before she could explain her interest further on the idea Amia had created. From what I know, at least two to three hundred copies were grown, each in varying mental states. Tanui, however, was the one they felt was the most complete, most able to carry out his master's mission of destroying everything Tamli held important. _

"He said that I stood in his way, that I prevented him from achieving the greatness Amia had seen in him." Sighing, Tamli got to his feet, fixing his gaze on Finca.

_What did you see in your vision? _Finca growled, pressing him for answers despite how much he had shown he didn't want to talk about it.

"The clone . . . _Tanui_ killed you and then used your dead body as a distraction to catch me off-guard. He taunted me, raving that I was the one who stood between him and the 'fate' Amia had given him. Before I could strike back, he plunged the cold metal of his sword, of the same blade used to end your life, into me. The coldness of death crept over me as the knowledge of my failure weighed heavily on my mind, my last glance lingering on you before . . ."

_Before I pulled you out of the vision_, Finca finished for him softly, moving over and resting her snout against the small of his back. _Little one . . ._

Sitedal's low growl startled Tamli and he glanced at the black scale-flier, only to find that the dragon's eyes were not on him. A few seconds later Finca also looked towards the same direction, worry clouding her thoughts from him as he felt a slight twinge of sorrow brush across their mental link. Curious, he turned around, taking a step back as he realized that Makiar lingered right at the entryway to her chamber, her head and shoulders sagging as wisps of smoke rose from her back.

Again the same feeling of sadness touched his mind from Finca and he glanced at her in questioning. A rattling cough from the red dragoness returned his attention immediately to Makiar and he noticed she carried herself differently as she slowly entered into the hallway. Her head, once held erect with pride, now drooped and her eyes looked burdened by something that only she knew.

_Corruption's influence stretches even here_, Sitedal growled quietly as Makiar halted before Tamli, her eyes looking him over before a ragged snort sent flecks of hot liquid into his hair.

_I was wrong to doubt you_, she whispered, her voice weak and strained as he stared up at her weary eyes, placing a hand on her foreleg in comfort. _I've lived too long to know when there is a true warning and I failed to heed yours. Forgive me, Tamli._

Her eyes clouded as another cough left her shaking, her body looking so feeble compared to the mighty dragoness she had been not so long ago. _Corruption's power taunted me for the longest time, feeding off my desire of revenge against the dragons that stripped me of my body and threw my mind into Finca's newling frame. I loathed them for that but, over time, I found myself fond of the white dragoness who was my host, marveling at how calm she was towards everything that happened between you and her. It pained me to leave her . . . _

Makiar snarled, collapsing to the floor as a low rattling hiss from Finca brought tears to Tamli's eyes. _I never realized just how vengeful the darkness was until it was too late. It fed from me for years, draining small amounts of energy until its rebirth and entrance into Narssia. Now . . . Now I don't have anything left. _Her eyes broke from Tamli, searching until she found Sitedal. _Watch yourself and your sister, fear mongrel. There is still a chance for _her_ redemption, and for Jormundur's. _

Sitedal growled softly in understanding as Tamli backed away, letting Finca go to the side of her friend and mentor. He hated to watch the death of another dragon but particularly so soon after his vision of Finca's death. Feeling unnerved, he let the dark scale-flier lead him away from the scene even as the mourning keen began for the dying fire dragoness.

"What killed her?" Tamli asked as he followed Sitedal quietly, Finca having withdrawn into her own mind to give him peace from having to feel her sorrow and hurt at Makiar's demise.

_Corruption. _Sitedal snorted, flicking the end of his tail as he turned to walk into one of the smaller rooms._Mother never knew just how dangerous it was and to think . . . To think that it killed Makiar alone over thousands of years without anyone knowing . . ._

"Finca took me to see her after I awoke from dreaming about my former love being alive. When we confronted her, I felt sickened by just being in the room and she wasn't giving much support at all to what was being said."

_Pure darkness never mixes well with pure light_, the dragon retorted, glancing at him as he hesitated near the room's opening. _Ryta would have been an example of that had Jormundur and I not gotten her away when we did . . . _

_What is it, brother?_ The soft growl of the brown dragoness echoed as Sitedal and Tamli entered the darkened area to see the female lingering near the only light in the room, a blue lanturn turned down to almost no illumination.

_Makiar is dead. Corruption's strain on her over years of draining strength finally ended it. However, I come not just with bad news, sister, as Tamli has seen Nethial in his dreams. _

_She came back?_ Ryta snorted, rising from the floor and moving over to them, the light becoming brighter to trail her form.

"Indeed," Tamli muttered, running a hand through his hair as he felt the specks of blood left by Makiar when she had snorted during their brief talk. "Nethial returned and Tanui has mentally declined."


	52. Protection

**Chapter 52-Protection**

Tanui slowly felt consciousness return to him and he opened his eyes, immediately wishing he hadn't as he noticed that the first light of dawn seemed to be rising up from behind him. Specks of white foam clung to his wet wings as he found that he was somehow on a shoreline, possibly having flown the entire stretch of sea travel half-conscious during the night. He didn't remember much after fleeing from Cambre other than a collision with the side of a mountain as he left the island that possibly broke a few ribs. Tenderly lifting his head, he blinked rapidly, clearing his vision and bringing the area around him into better focus.

The lower half of his body was still submerged in crystal clear water, his chest upward laying on pale sand that was constantly being covered by white foam from the ocean's waves. Scraping his claws against the loose ground, he jerked himself forward, only to fall to his belly as searing pain from his left side halted his movement and confirmed that he had injured himself in his escape from Tel-var. Checking around, he sighed as he realized nothing else was damaged, although his wings were incredibly damp from being underwater for some time. He wasn't even sure how long he had been out cold but, from looking around, he could guess it had possibly been only a few hours.

His head wasn't hurting yet but he feared for when that time came. Why wouldn't the voices go away? He had been the one with the most promise, Amia had never said it but he had sensed the hidden pride, yet was it only temporary? He had to show his worth somehow, complete the task he had been given before his master's death. Granted, he had caused the former rider to die but he had acted on impulse, choosing to save the life of the inferior hybrid that he was cloned from. Saving the original template had started all of this, from his mental state decaying to the lives of innocents lost at his unwilling hand. Was he really sorry for killing hatchlings that descended from the lineage of Tamli? He shook his head, snarling softly as he tried again to pull himself up out of the water.

He smelt the blood before he knew something was wrong, his gaze going to his left side to see a crimson tint to the liquid that was spreading rapidly. The wound must have scabbed over, he reasoned as he lay there watching in horror. Was this how his death was going to come? Alone, lost on an island shore he knew nothing about and bleeding to death. A ragged coughing spell caught him unprepared and he jerked upward, tearing open the skin on his side wider as his entire body trembled, the whole sudden movement leaving him nauseous.

Laying his head back down on sand now sprinkled with drops of blood, he closed his eyes, waiting for his death to come. He was so sore, so tired and yet something in him urged him to continue to move. Moving anymore would likely kill him, he noted as he swished his tail under the tainted liquid. Dying here would be how he met his end. Master would not have approved but then again he had killed him in cold blood.

Sighing, Tanui heard the voices start back up, their constant chatter fraying his nerves greatly. _Can't you see my predicament? _He snarled bitterly within his mind, hoping to strike a chord with the aggravating nuisance that refused to fade away completely. _Don't you even . . . _

White flakes of sea-foam rushed towards him and he blacked out . . .

* * *

><p>White wings glistened under the gleam of the sun as a young dragon swooped upwards, stretching his wingspan to the limit as he twisted in mid-flap, his senses perked by the distant iron-like smell of blood. Sniffing the air for the direction in which to go, the fledgling banked to his left, gliding over the sea beneath him as he narrowed his eyes, the oddly colored teal irises glistening as he dipped the tip of his tail into the water below him. He had been raised by a former-human-turned-dragon and her mated partner-of-heart for nearly six years now, growing strong under their training and guidance. Tyst, as he was known by his father and mother, lifted his tail and rose steadily, flapping as he climbed through air currents to see if he could detect the identity of what had drawn him to it by the scent of wounded half-living vessels.<p>

Coming to a halt, he blinked, staring down at the shallow form of a black dragon laying along the shoreline miles from their home among the high cliffs. How had a scale-flier found its way out this far? Concerned for the beast as he noticed the large pool of blood surrounding its body, Tyst banked sharply around, screeching as he hurried back to go get help for the wounded beast before it died from its injuries.

Returning to the black dragon a half-hour later, Tyst landed gently on the shoreline, glancing up at the dragoness he had brought with him. Her white scales were tipped in black, a symbol of her former status as a human prior to her transformation into a dragon. She hummed in reassurance before diving in under the wounded scaled creature and shoved it up on the sand. He watched her come up moments later and then moved to flank the unconscious beast, trying to avoid being in her way. The female got to work immediately, pressing her snout against the dragon's torn side as energy flowed from her, stitching back up the rib cage and smoothing over the affected area. Healing that one spot took most of her energy and she stepped back, trembling as Tyst took it upon himself to drag the visitor under a shade tree feet away, rejoining her minutes later and nuzzling her gently.

_His wound was far worse than I've experienced before_, the dragoness commented as her irises, each a different color, narrowed in suspicion. _Who is he and why would he show up here?_

_You healed it, right? The wound, I mean. _Tyst glanced up to see her sigh and quickly gaze at him, the green and blue of her irises still intriguing him even after six years of living with her.

_Somewhat_, she snorted as her interest returned to the stranger. _I fixed his broken ribs and put new skin in that area but I can't do much for the blood loss. How long did you say he looked to be unconscious for?_

Tyst growled, unsure with where she was going by asking the question. _An hour, maybe two. _

_Good, good. There's still hope then. Let's take him back to your father. I have a feeling they might like to talk._

* * *

><p>Death didn't feel like he had expected it would. In fact, it almost seemed as if his spirit wasn't quite ready to give up yet. He heard the sounds of growling and wingbeats but it never occurred to him right away that he might still be alive. Once there was complete silence and the noise stopped, he dared to open his eyes.<p>

He found first off that he had somehow shifted back into his weak human forme, his clothes in tatters and a large area of gauze pressed tightly against his left ribs. Tanui blinked, wondering why he had changed back and then realized he couldn't recall anything past waking up on the shoreline where he had torn his wound open further and passed out from the blood loss. Whoever had bound his injuries knew what they were doing, he noticed as he saw that the knuckles on his right hand had been wrapped tightly and that he couldn't move any of those fingers.

The area he was in was small and made of brown sandstone, barely able to even be a room for a fledgling dragonet. The ceiling hung low and he was on a raised groove in the wall but he welcomed the confined quarters, finding it easier to be lost in the darkness around him. The single entryway was covered by something that looked like to him a long piece of cloth.

Snarling under his breath, he sat up, immediately clutching at his head as his vision swam and pain exploded from within his skull. "Why is this happening?" He growled through clenched teeth, hearing the sharp click of claws against stone right outside.

The cloth was brushed aside by a large white dragon, its irises a strange mix of yellow and purple that seemed familiar to Tanui. Inclining its head, he fought back the urge to flinch as the scale-flier sniffed him before growling softly, eyes narrowing.

_You will find your wounds are bound. _Its voice resounded deep in his mind, stirring to life memories of a hatchling of the original hybrid he had not considered would still be alive.

"Rados?" Tanui rasped, too much in shock over his discovery to think over the issues his knowledge would likely bring. "How? How are you still alive? You disappeared after Finca was attacked, after she left you the white egg from the two she had laid . . ."

The dragon, Rados, snorted, locking eyes with Tanui. _How do you know me? _He asked, growling softly as he pressed the issue.

"I . . ."

_Talk, human. _

_'I see you have faired better then most with your ailment.' _The voice of the dead dragoness Misery whispered from within his mind, her words, although spoken to Tamli before his death, seemed to make sense of the situation Tanui found himself in.

"I know you because of who I am," Tanui whispered, glancing down at his bandaged hand as he heard the voices begin their distracting nonsense once more.

Rados snarled, snapping just inches in front of Tanui's face. _That doesn't make sense. Roylezn said she felt something familiar about you but I dismissed it. Maybe she was right? _The dragon drew back his head, glancing towards the opening of the room. _Come with me, there's someone I'd like you to meet. _

Sliding off the hard stone that had been his cot, Tanui stood up and took a step forward, only to clutch at his head in agony. Hissing in pain, he dropped to his knees, the motion aggravating the wound to his side and jarring his knuckles. Rados halted at the room's entrance in expectancy, obviously waiting for him to follow along. Pushing himself forward despite the aguish, the clone returned to his feet and silently trailed the dragon as it led him outside of the narrow chamber.

Passing through a large corridor of brown sandstone, Tanui followed Rados as the dragon moved down the hallway and out into a much wider circular area that looked to be the main entrance to a cave. Sunlight streamed in from the large hole in the rock before them and the clone squinted, lifting his good hand to shield his eyes from the glare. It wasn't until a few moments passed that he realized they were not alone in the room, rapidly glancing around to see three other dragons each lingering near the dark walls.

The first dragon his gaze was drawn to was a female with black-tipped white scales that lay by herself against the wall farthest from the open air. Something about her seemed familiar to him but he couldn't place why as he glanced at her eyes, one blue and one green. From just the eyes alone she resembled Roylezn, the girl who had bonded with Rados shortly after the death of his siblings by Mhetra and Meta. It couldn't be possible that he had found both dragons, could it?

Ignoring the thoughts that pestered him further on the subject, Tanui turned his attention to the two other scale-fliers that lingered just inside the cave, each one laying protectively close to the other. The one closest to him was a grey fledgling, possibly no older than five months at the least. From the narrowed head and slender body, he reasoned it was a female, taking into account its crisp blue irises that shimmered like sapphires. The second dragon was obviously a male from its broad shoulders and boxy snout. Its teal irises watched him carefully as it rose, white scales glistening as it walked over to them.

_I see he's awake_, the young dragon growled as its gaze shifted to Rados for a brief second. _While it is nice that you show him around, shouldn't he still be resting?_

A brief surge of mental pain rammed into him and Tanui hissed, grasping his head in his good hand as he took a step back. Within a few seconds the sensation had passed and he relaxed his arm, only to find that every eye was now focused directly on him. He noticed that the dragoness with the tipped scales seemed concerned the most and watched as she rose from her position, irises glistening as she stood there in silence.

Rados snarled softly at him as Tanui suppressed a shudder. _I appreciate your concern Tyst, and you as well my sweet Roylezn, but I asked all of you to meet me here for this one moment. Malie, come here._

The grey hatchling immediately got up and walked over, her eyes narrowing as Tanui found her gaze drawn to him. She stopped several feet away and quickly glanced at Rados, growling softly, before her sapphire irises fixed on the clone once more. Tyst retreated to Roylezn's side even as Rados took a few steps back to give them room.

_You will find that my daughter is quite gifted_, Roylezn growled within Tanui's mind, her soft voice stirring up the memories Tamli had of the girl when she was still human and had first bonded with Rados. _This will not harm you, so long as you do not fight against it._

Unsure of what to expect, Tanui quickly glanced at Roylezn to see her nod at Malie, the hatchling closing her eyes as he took another step back. A gentle mental presence invaded his mind and he could sense she was not trying to be harmful by touching his thoughts. He waited as he felt her slowly flip through his memories, cringing as he realized she would soon learn all about who he was and what he had been created to destroy. Trembling, he stared at the dragoness as her eyelids fluttered, slowly hearing the voices begin their chatter.

He panicked, stumbling back and tripping over his own feet as he threw up mental walls, driving her away as the back of his skull throbbed. Raising his hands to his head, forgetting that his right was bandaged to keep movement to a minimum, he squeezed his eye shut as he heard Malie snort angrily. Crying out, he screamed as his mind exploded with pain and he pulled his broken knuckles as he leaned forward . . .

Tanui wasn't quite sure when he retched as the agony had been overwhelming and he was still lightheaded from the blood loss. All he knew was that his ribs burned and spittle hung from his mouth as he opened his eyes, lifting his gaze slowly as he found that he had somehow rose into a kneeing position and that his hands were resting on the floor. He tasted bile and blood in the back of his throat and he swallowed, blinking as a taloned forepaw pressed down on his back, shoving him to the ground.

It was Rados who had pinned him to the floor and Tanui smirked, biting back a remark about the dragon's rude behavior. _Since Malie could not complete her examination of your mind, we'll do this the hard way then. Who are you and how do you know so much about my father?_

"Because I am him," Tanui spat, lifting his head and craning his neck to stare at the dragon's ivory claws that dug into his back. "Because I am a clone of Tamli Dragonsbane."

_That's impossible! _Rados snarled as he pierced Tanui's back with his talons, the clone hissing under his breath at the pain. _Father would never have agreed to such a thing. You-_

"Tamli never knew." Tanui coughed, trying to get the taste of his own blood out of his mouth as he felt warm liquid moisten the gauze over his left side. "His genetic material was taken through months of his decline. By the time he could have guessed at what was going on, he was already dead."

_The disease was used to gain the proper genetic material needed for cloning then_, Roylezn snorted softly. _Who in their sick mind would think of cloning him though?_

_I couldn't discover much but I think Amia Nekita was the one behind the process and also a dragoness named Misery_, Malie hummed as Tanui lowered his head to the floor, his vision swimming as a sudden loss of strength made it nearly impossible to do anything.

"Master would have been proud . . . so proud of what I accomplished. Inferior template should have died . . . should have let him get killed by Master . . . Master wouldn't be dead now . . . Shouldn't be falling for a woman that inferior fool loved . . . Only a tool . . ."

_There is much darkness and hate inside him. Some of it comes from being a clone but most . . . most stems from his rage at the original template. Yet despite his distrust of the world around him, there is a blossoming love growing between him and the former love of his original self_, Malie growled, informing her parents as Tanui found his gaze unfocused and disorienting.

_A clone. _Rados snorted, finally lifting his taloned foreleg off of Tanui's back and moving away. _They would be so brash as to clone my own father. Did Amia ever realize what would come of his attempt if it backfired? _

The clone blinked, silently listening to Rados rant about the unfairness of the situation. He hadn't wanted a choice if it had ever been asked of him. None of the copies would have, but Amia had never made it a question. Obey their creator or die. Either way they would meet their end when their usefulness was done.

Laying there, Tanui realized the voices in his mind had fallen silent, giving him a quietness he had not experienced for weeks. He was grateful for the stillness but, as he tried to get up, a stab of pain from his wounded side forced him back to the ground. Hissing, he inched his good hand down and felt the wrapping, lifting his fingers away to notice that blood had soaked through the bandage.

Apparently Roylezn had heard him shift positions on the floor and it wasn't long before her snout brushed up against his back. She nudged him gently to assure him that it was her but the slight movement only made the agony worse and he let out a muffled cry, using the sandstone under him to mask the sound. The claw marks on his back burned as he tilted his head to see the dragoness out of the corner of his eye, watching her as she snarled her displeasure at Rados for injuring him further.

_He is still in a very uncertain condition and you mar him with this_, she hissed venomously before Tanui found himself gently picked up by her maw and carried back the way he had been taken.

* * *

><p>He slept for the first time in days. A good, restful sleep that helped to mend his broken body. Roylezn had fixed what she could but not everything damaged was external. Tanui knew his mind was still in pieces but it didn't hinder him from relishing the peace he had gained since being found by Tyst and taken in among them.<p>

No longer was he curled tightly into a ball, although the wall he was up against made it difficult to do much more movement besides that, but he still trembled, thrashing around violently in his sleep. He dreamed of destruction, of a wasteland where he killed the original's dragon and made the inferior one come to him.

Tamli might have been the original hybrid he was cloned from but he was vastly superior in every sense. He had broken free of the memories and lived his own life, abet for a time until the decay had begun. Amia would have been proud, had he not killed the man.

Rolling over, he was jarred awake by a collision with the cold floor under him. Snarling out a stream of curses, he sat up and slid back against the sandstone that formed the walls and the base of the shelf used as his temporary bed. Hot tears ran down his cheeks as he shook his head, bringing his knees up and crossing his arms over them to rest his chin on the ragged flesh. His left shoulder throbbed softly with muted pain, the deep marks of Ladetis's claws still visible under the ripped cloak he still wore.

His gaze drifted to the room's opening, almost wanting one of the dragons to visit him and check on him, no doubt having heard his violent wake-up. A dull ache lingered at the base of his skull, continuing to remind him of his mental state and how he had gotten in such bad shape. He noticed that his right wrist was secured tightly into a wooden brace, the quality of the details impressive for having a scale-flier carve the material itself to fit his small frame. It seemed Roylezn had kept her medical knowledge sharp since becoming a dragon, he reasoned as a slight click right outside the chamber drew his attention.

Slowly getting to his feet, Tanui inched towards the cloth that obscured the room from the world outside. Placing his hand on the soft fabric, he pushed it aside gently and was met with the teal irises of Tyst. The dragon snorted in surprise and took a step back as the clone stood still, his ravaged mind distorting the scene before him and taking him back to his early days of training at Amia's cruel hands.

He saw . . . **Amia engaging him into a sword fight, blades whirling as he relied on the flashes of memory he had of Tamli's own training to guide his hand. They had traveled to an isolated forest for the fighting to take place, a fact that was not lost on him as he dodged a strike from the former rider and felt a stray leaf touch his shoulder. Backing away, he led them into a clearing, letting the warm rays of sunlight brush across his bare back. **

**Amia had asked that he only wear a pair of shorts and, with the heat pressing against the pale skin of his back, he was glad he had agreed with his Master's idea. Red eyes narrowing, he passed his blade to his left hand and went on the offensive, pushing the once-rider back with devastatingly powerful blows. Locking their swords against each other, a slight grin gave away his intention as he took a step back, flipping into the air and shifting in mid-air into his dragon forme . . .**

Releasing his hold on the cloth, not realizing at first that he had clutched to it like it was the only thing keeping him on his feet, Tanui blinked, retreating back into the darkness of his small chamber as the pain in his skull grew worse. Tyst pushed aside the fabric and followed in after him, growling softly as the clone sunk back onto the edge of the cot.

_Do I need to get my mother? _The fledgling asked as Tanui glanced at him with unfocused eyes, trembling slightly.

"No," he whispered, dropping his gaze to the floor and sliding up on the stone shelf, tucking his legs under him. "Leave me."

_We just want to help you_, Tyst protested as Tanui pressed his back against the stone that formed the cave system, lowering his head as he raised his left hand to gently press against his skull.

"No one can help me," the clone snarled, red irises blazing under heavy brows as he glared up at the white dragon that had entered into his personal space. "Why would anyone want to help? Just a failed creation . . ."

Tyst snorted. _That's not true. You may be copied from another but you have a purpose-_

"Do I?" The hesitation in Tanui's voice surprised Tyst as he interrupted the dragon. "Is that what you think, dragon? I have nothing to accomplish . . . Nothing to do after I prove my superiority and destroy the one I was made from."

_You have someone you care for, isn't that reason enough?_

Tanui laughed softly, shaking his head. "She loved _him_, not me. My saving her from her madness only made her reach out to me." He sighed, closing his eyes. "Why can't my isolation be peaceful? I know what is to come from watching the others slowly die. Insanity, psychosis . . . Is that all I'm destined to descend into?"

Tyst growled, glancing back at the opening to the room for a moment. _You think this is isolation? What are you running from? Tell me. _

"You want to know?" He questioned, barely opening his eyes to gaze at the dragon through tiny slits. "I ran . . . I ran because I can't control it anymore. Everyone from the start knew I was the best of the clones, figured I could separate _his _memories from my own. No one expected this to happen, least of all to me."

Hanging his head, Tanui swallowed, blinking back tears as the discussion brought up his fears at losing all of the work he had put into separating himself from the inferior original. Amia had been thrilled with his progress and had put him in charge of the weaker copies lingering around the ruins of Misery's lab, the same place he killed his Master. He was fading so quickly . . . How long would it be before he attacked his own dragon?

"I can't . . ." Tanui stammered, sliding off the stone self and falling to his knees on the ground of the cave.

Tyst hummed, nudging him softly before backing away. _We want to help you but we can't if you don't let us._

Tanui raised his head, red irises narrowing. "Leave," he hissed, quickly glancing beside him for a moment as if he had seen something out of the corner of his eye.

Lingering for a moment longer, the white dragon finally did as Tanui asked and left him alone in his silent misery. Once he was sure he was completely isolated, the clone sighed and dropped his gaze to the floor, allowing the disjointed rambling of voices and memories to haunt him again. He couldn't hold himself together much longer. Something would break and when it did . . .

He only hoped he wasn't in contact with any dragons when the final restraint broke loose. There would be bloodshed and it wouldn't be his.


	53. Distrust

**Chapter 53-Distrust**

Dhran had been in a heated discussion with Seraphina when he first felt the nauseating pain ram into him. Immediately his thoughts turned to Aurelia and, after much arguing with his dragon, he left to find his beloved soon-to-be wife. Although she had already been well in her fourth month before she told him, Airu was still worried as he hurried down to the quarters where her former clinic and their bedroom was, sweat breaking out on his palms as he grasped hold of the entrance to the room and called out her name.

Aurelia met him at the entryway a moment later, her eyes bright and cheerful as she dismissed his fears of something having happened to her or the child. Still disoriented, Dhran took the time to give her a gentle kiss before leaving her and going back to Seraphina. He would have made it back to her sooner but he kept getting questioned by the dragoness about his love-mate, her term for Aurelia.

_I told you she's fine_, Dhran protested as he rounded a corner in the narrow corridor he was walking down, having taken a different route to get back to his dragoness. _Seraphina, nothing bad will happen to her if I can help it._

Unaware of the area around him, Airu was startled when a black cloak brushed past him. He halted and turned around to see that the person who had walked past had also slowed and glanced back at him. Two purple eyes met his questioning gaze and a sense of pity welled up within him as he realized it was Tamli who had passed him without a word.

"How's Finca?" Airu asked, unsure of how to open the conversation but also curious as to why Tamli hadn't said anything when they passed each other.

"Coping." The reply was tense and Tamli's tone suggested there was something more going on under the surface.

Silence filled the air between them as Dhran studied the man, watching as the cloak stretched tighter around the hybrid's frame. There was something going on, something Tamli wasn't telling. Could it have to do with the blinding surge of pain he had felt that made him rush to Aurelia's side?

"Where are you going?"

Tamli looked away, eyes darkening. "I guess you felt that powerful mental wave of agony. It came from the clone yet I fear he must be somewhere nearby to have such a drastic impact on us here . . ."

Dhran blinked, chastising himself for not thinking about the threat of the clones as a possible reason for the misery he had felt. How had Tamli known about it so fast? Was he somehow mentally linked to the copy that had taken Ladetis and corrupted the young dragon?

"He must be dealt with before anymore lives are lost." The slight verge of anger in Tamli's tone worried Dhran as the man turned to face him. "I will not risk another innocent life. The sooner I act, the better."

"What about Finca? Have you talked this over with her?"

A quiet chuckle from Tamli confirmed Dhran's thoughts that he hadn't told the dragoness anything about his plan. "She's too busy wrapped up in Makiar's death at the moment. Besides, she'd want me to get my memory back first before I went after him, allowing that monster to kill more before I even got involved."

The darkness of the garment Tamli wore seemed to reflect his eyes as the deep amethyst bore into Dhran. He couldn't disagree with the man but the plan of action . . . Airu wasn't sure the hybrid was up to the task but it was not his place to say such with Tamli so set on his decision to end the life of the clone.

"I . . . wish you luck."

Nodding in approval, Tamli turned back around and continued on, pausing briefly after only a few steps to glance back at Dhran. "Keep quiet about this from Finca. I know she'll find out sooner or later but I want to be the one to tell her myself after the threat has passed."

"I will-"

_We will keep your deception from Finca_, Seraphina chimed in, having heard all of the conversation from Dhran's open mind-link with her. _I will also hide this from Mother, just in case the two converse during your absence. _

"I appreciate it, daughter of the night."

Seraphina snorted in amusement. _Think nothing of it, hybrid. _She paused for a moment and Dhran thought he sensed a sadness creep through their connection. _If you find my brother is with the clone, can you spare him the agony of a shattered mind-link?_

Tamli's eyes darkened at the request and Airu subconsciously reached for the hilt of his sword, taking a step back out of precaution. The hybrid raised a hand to inform him there would be no damage dealt to the dragoness and Dhran relaxed, loosening his grip on the weapon. A sense of guilt flooded into him from Seraphina and he realized she blamed herself for Ladetis leaving and bonding with the clone.

"I bare your dragon no harm but her words remind me of something . . . Something I can't quite remember. Perhaps it is nothing but . . ."

Dhran wasn't sure what exactly happened next as the color seemed to drain from Tamli's face and he reached up to grasp his head, hissing through clenched teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut. Turning around so that his back would press up against a wall, the man slid backwards as Airu rushed to his side, visibly shaken by how quickly things had changed in seconds.

The normally comforting presence of Seraphina's mind touched his own and Dhran shrugged her away, concerned for Tamli as the hybrid's eyes fluttered under his eyelids and a light sweat broke out on his already pale face. A low moan rose from the man's throat as Airu glanced around to see if anyone was around. While the path he had taken was not used regularly, it still had times of heavy traffic but, unfortunately, now was not one of those moments. Still, tense air filled the space around him and he placed a hand on Tamli's shoulder for comfort before his dragoness again tried to reach out to him.

_What is it, Seraphina? _He snapped, temper flaring as Tamli's skin felt unusually warm under his touch.

_That presence . . . _She whispered, a timidness creeping into her voice that would have worried Dhran had he not been distracted with Tamli's sudden decline in condition. _He was right . . . _

Dhran tore his attention away from the hybrid, grumbling under his breath as he took a step back and took another glance around the corridor. He couldn't hear any footsteps but that didn't mean there wasn't anyone traveling along the same path. A quick glance at Tamli reinforced Airu's determination to find someone who could help them as the hybrid sunk against the wall, sliding down to the floor as both hands rose to his skull.

_Dhran, listen to me. Tamli was right, the clone is close-by. His presence affects all of us yet . . ._

_Quiet_, Dhran growled, cutting off their connection sharply as he shook his head and made the decision to carry the ailing hybrid back the way he had come to see if Aurelia could do something to help.

* * *

><p>Ryta was surprised by how calm her brother was as she met with him and Verdra, still unsure herself after the mental surge that had disrupted their peaceful day. She had expected him to be as unnerved as she was, particularly since the sensation had reminded her of Arxa's dominance over their mother. The black dragons greeted her with respect and dignity, although it was something she never did understand since Verdra was nearly as old as her sibling, but she felt welcomed every time she visited the two.<p>

_What is it, sister? _Sitedal growled softly as they sat down on the wood-marble floor of the chamber, the residual remembrance of Tanui's slaughter being the shattered splinters of one of the eggshells that the dragons had decided to hang onto until the clone was either killed or brought before them to explain why he had taken the lives of two innocent hatchlings.

_Surely you felt the same sensation I did moments ago . . ._

Verdra snorted, eyes brightening as Sitedal wrapped his tail lovingly around her own. _Of course we did, Ryta. _She paused, glancing at her mate. _We just fear Ladetis or the clone may be responsible for such a disturbance. _

_Most likely the copy is descending into mental instability. Tamli said he experienced a vision where the rogue killed Finca then went after him, spouting nonsense about its destiny and so forth . . ._

Ryta nodded, impressed by his knowledge of the cloning project they had unwillingly been forced to learn about from Arxa once she took over the operation and Amia grew more distant. It pleased her to see the fine dragon her sibling had become but she still worried about Jormundur and how he was holding up. Corruption's influence was strong, she knew that much from hearing Sitedal talk about sliding into its grasp after Seraphina hatched, yet she hoped her wind-wielding brother could rise above the temptation and escape from its clutches before it was too late.

_You seem deep in thought_, Sitedal commented as Ryta blinked, laying down on the floor as she wrapped her tail around her left side, allowing the tip to brush against the ivory talons on her hind limb.

_I was just thinking about our brother_, she admitted after a minute, lowering her head and lifting her gaze to meet Sitedal's steady gaze. _I hope he can escape like we have from the darkness . . ._

_It isn't as easy as you make it seem, Ryta_, Verdra pointed out as she exchanged a knowing look with her mate. _Even the best dragons fall from grace sometimes. Makiar was a prime example of that but may her spirit find peace now._

_How's Seraphina coming along in her training? _Ryta questioned as she changed the subject, sensing Sitedal quietly withdraw from her mind.

_Fair enough but she still has much to learn. Father mostly trained Jormundur and myself so I had little to base my instruction off of since we learned of our elements in secret . . ._

_We felt Seraphina should work with him until she develops her powers and then I would step in to guide her on controlling the new aspect of herself_, Verdra added as her mate fell silent and looked away, eyes glistening in the near-darkness of their chamber.

A sudden rasp at the entrance to the room startled then and Sitedal lunged to his feet, growling softly as he made his way over towards the opening. Ryta quickly joined him and nudged the cloth they had draped over the doorway, parting it to allow Seraphina to enter. The young dragoness was clearly shaken as her gaze brushed past the two and settled on Verdra, a low hum rising from the female as their eyes locked.

_Tamli left_, she whispered softly as the three dragons surrounded her; Verdra nuzzling her daughter gently.

_Is he going after the clone? _Sitedal snorted as his irises gleamed dimly under the feeble light.

_After everything Dhran did to get him to see things from Finca's perspective . . . He still went and left to find the abomination. _Seraphina hissed softly, shaking her head. _The hybrid is no condition to face himself, not like this. _

A deep growl rose from Sitedal's throat, the anger compressed within the sound forcing Ryta to retreat a step out of fear. _Why didn't you stop him then?_

_Because the situation is so similar to our own, brother_, Ryta hummed, glancing at Seraphina and finding herself proud of the young dragoness for speaking up about Tamli's disappearance. _Had I discovered the secret to bringing our mother back, you would have joined in the effort and might have never discovered Verdra._

_Ladetis and Seraphina would have never existed_, Sitedal muttered softly as Verdra exchanged a reassuring glance with him. _While I may have blamed Tamli for what his clone did, I understand your reaction, my daughter. Does Finca know he left?_

_No, he wanted to come back with the news that this nightmare was over and hope she would forgive him for not telling her in the first place._

_We must inform Finca, she has a right to know_, Ryta snorted, focusing her attention back on her brother. _If anything, she knows him better than any of us. Her decision would lead to us going after him or not, depending on her choice. _

_You would deny Tamli his free will? We both know what Finca would want. He needs his memory back to stand a chance against this . . . imposter that has done so much damage. _The venom in Verdra's tone surprised the two she-dragons for a moment before they glanced over at Sitedal to see that he had withdrawn from the conversation and had closed his eyes, claws tensed against the floor.

_What is it, brother? _Ryta asked as Seraphina bowed her head sheepishly in shame for letting Tamli escape under her watch.

_I sense sorrow and pain mixed with an impending darkness. _He opened his eyes, catching her gaze as his irises softened. _If the clone is as deranged as I fear he must be at this point, how then is Ladetis faring. The taking of lives is pressure upon itself but when your own friend becomes an enemy . . . _

_If he is anything like me, father, Ladetis will be strong enough to survive. Have no fear of that_, Seraphina growled.

Sitedal sighed, glancing over at her. _I hope you are correct. _


	54. Torn

**Chapter 54-Torn**

The fresh scent of sea salt wafered into the cave system gradually, as it did every night, but unlike most days, the familiar smell could not calm Tyst. He was still shaken up after the encounter with the clone and seeing its condition be poorer then his mother had figured. Lingering in the main chamber, he hesitated, glancing back towards the direction of their guest's room. It had been several hours since the event but he couldn't get the meeting out of his mind. Sighing, he laid down on the sandstone floor and tried to relax, realizing quickly he wouldn't get much sleep during the night.

He wasn't sure how long had passed but he figured he must have drifted off soon after because he was suddenly jolted awake, getting to his feet as he listened for any sort of sound that could have aroused him. Not hearing or sensing anything out of the ordinary, Tyst scolded himself for being too paranoid and sat back down, curling his tail alongside his right side. It was then that he heard the low whimper that seemed to come from the direction he had been skeptical about going into anyway. He must have been awakened by the clone's misery, he reasoned as he stood and turned to face the general location of the sound.

Deciding to risk taking a glance at the man to make sure he wasn't dying, although the sounds coming from the room seemed to suggest just that, Tyst left the main area and went down the small path that connected the two chambers. He paused at the room's opening, peering in to see that Tanui was on his back, hands clenched tightly at his sides and still uttering that quiet mummer that rose and fell in volume irregularly. Having witnessed how his father had treated the man after identifying it was a copy of someone important, he was all but happy to leave the hybrid alone and have nothing to do with it.

Yet, despite how he personally felt, he entered and stood there watching, silent as stone while the continued low sounds coming from Tanui began to turn into something much more interesting. The clone's words were disjointed and fractured at best but Tyst made out several things he hadn't expected to hear from the broken man laying before him. A bonded dragon and a lover had departed from the copy to parts unknown, leaving him to struggle against his own mental collapse. The decay had been gradual, hidden from the one who had deemed him so successful in every aspect, but the eventual shift in mannerisms had ultimately given away how shattered he had become.

Shifting slightly, Tyst hesitated as the deep breathing he had heard come from the clone abruptly vanished, only to find red irises staring up at him a minute later. He took a step back as Tanui rose, lifting a hand and letting electricity flicker from his fingertips. Crimson eyes narrowed sharply, the muted red masked by the paled skin around it and the faint appearance of veins along the hybrid's left temple.

"You refuse me of sleep?" Tanui questioned, a venomous hiss added to his words as he rasped them out through clenched teeth. "I sense your fear and unease, dragon. Why be afraid?"

_I am not afraid_, Tyst snorted angrily, retreating until he was standing in the doorway. His words might fool Tanui but he was uncertain of how the clone would react.

Tanui chuckled softly, maliciously under his breath. "Is that so? Then why does your pulse quicken and you back away from me as if I was a rabid animal?" He snorted, amused as Tyst bared his teeth in protest. "Come now, I am as harmless as a fly."

_Father thinks the opposite. His distrust of you is enough for me to be worried-_

"Worried enough to call for either that disillusioned healer or the survivor who witnessed the death of its siblings and did nothing to save them? I expected better from you." Tanui smirked, curling a hand and lowering it to his side.

_Take that back! Mother and Father did what they could to get to this point. Their pasts are flawed but, then again, who doesn't have a troubled past? I suspect you had quite a rough time yourself. Grown in a vat and all just to obey the wishes of a corrupted former rider-_

Tanui's irises flared and his lowered hand rose, unclenching so he could seize at Tyst's throat with a telekinetic choke hold. The dragon, realizing he had mis-spoken and said something he never should have, growled in pain and tried to snap at the hybrid. Arcs of lightning crackled from the fingers the clone had never relaxed since being rudely awakened, the red flickers of light illuminating his ghostly skin.

"You will regret angering me," Tanui retorted as he moved forward, letting a jolt of electricity loose to strike at Tyst's captured frame. "I do not take kindly to those that bring up my past."

Relaxing the telekinetic hold slightly as he stopped right before the dragon, Tanui placed his sparking palm on the beast's snout, only to cackle in delight at hearing the pitiful shrieks rise from the tortured creature. With a sigh, the clone finally dropped his risen hand and glanced into Tyst's misery-filled eyes. Unable to do much besides catch his breath, the fledgling could only return the gaze with a stare of disgust.

_Just get it over with, pest. Kill me already, if that's what you want. Father will only return the damage tenfold upon your miserable frame. _

A sudden laugh from Tanui startled Tyst, making him flinch and realize the clone was removing his hand from the dragon's snout. "Kill you? No, I will do much worse then that. You and your family are the perfect bait I need to lure _him _here." The reddened irises slowly muted their color, returning to the dulled crimson the scale-flier had originally seen when Tanui had arrived. "I have always been the superior one and I shall prove why that is the case."

Tyst snarled, crouching low to the floor as he retreated a step, watching the clone's hands in case Tanui tried anything. He was still in shock and still pained from the electrical surge that he thought would have killed him. What plans did the disillusioned hybrid have for him? Could he call for help in time if the man made good on his word and attacked him?

_Attack me and you'll find yourself without an arm_, he snapped, trying to get the clone to at least fear his skills.

"It will just grow back given enough time." Without batting an eye, Tanui levitated his sword free from its sheath and held it even with Tyst's irises. "Care to question me on that?"

_Why would I? You'd just kill me before I could move to attack. _

"Suit yourself, dragon." Tyst quivered, noting the sheer amount of venom the words had held. Tanui wasn't playing around anymore, certainly not with the clone in the position to kill him if he so chose.

An idea struck Tyst a second later, the outcome worrying him but also possibly providing the rest of his family a means of escape while he fought off the disillusioned clone. Moving back half a step, he clenched his back talons against the sandstone floor and lifted himself up, trusting in his hind limbs to support him for only a few seconds. Letting loose a mighty roar, he threw himself forward, flaring his wings and swiping for Tanui's chest.

The clone ducked, thrusting his sword upward as Tyst scraped against the ceiling, frantically trying to turn around to attempt another attack. Cold steel scraped against the dragon's side, leaving a burning scar as it dropped back onto the ground. Landing with a disgruntled snarl, teal irises flickered with rage as the hatchling opened its maw to deliver a piercing shriek right into Tanui's back and knocked him to the ground.

Slow was the movement from the clone to get back onto its feet from the blast, Tyst realized as Tanui staggered back upright. The hybrid's hands gripped his knees tightly as his body tensed, a low hiss of air rasping from the man's throat as he stayed bent, red irises fixated on the floor as everything else was too painful to currently take in. Feigning concern, the scale-flier tentatively took a step towards him, only to watch as he threw himself against the closest wall, visibly shaking as his gaze seemed unfocused and lost.

"No more . . ." Tanui whimpered as Tyst snorted, startled by just how quickly the man's mood and even behavior had changed. One minute he had been about to be killed and now he was watching the hybrid have a mental breakdown. It greatly unnerved him to be standing where he was but he wanted to see how the clone would change next.

_You still need our help, despite what you think_, Tyst growled as Tanui turned around and slid down against the wall to sit with his lower back against curved rock, burrowing his head in his hands and beginning to weep uncontrollably.

Turning his back on the insane man, Tyst shook his head in disbelief at just how close he had come to death and how narrowly he had escaped with his life. His father was right to be wary of the hybrid, a lesson he had learned very clearly for himself.

_You should be lucky I am forgiving, otherwise Father would likely kill you himself if I were to tell him everything that happened tonight-_

A sharp burst of pain from his left hind leg startled Tyst and he whirled around to see that Tanui had, at least, partially regained his senses and had taken advantage of the dragon's back turned to lash out and rip away one talon from the now pained appendage. Snarling, he watched as a shallow grin crept over the hybrid's features and the reddened eyes seemed to glow with an inner light.

"Mine." The word was hissed through clenched teeth as veins crawled along the left side of the clone's face, distorting the waxy pale skin and sending a wave of fear crashing through Tyst.

The dragonet wasn't sure whether to run or stay where he was as Tanui's crimson eyes met his own. He noticed the pain hidden deep within and wanted to speak up but figured the man would likely kill him if he so moved from his current spot. Likely, there was too much aguish for the hybrid to deal with and so it had driven itself mad trying to compensate for something it no longer could control.

_What do you plan to do with that? _Tyst snarled as he lifted his injured limb, trying to soothe the pain that flowed through it and distracted him.

"Get your sister and yourself out of here. I can't control it much longer but, please, trust me and flee. Innocent blood on my hands is not what I want, despite what you think of me as a monster."

It took Tyst a moment to realize Tanui had actually spoken. His words were soft and guarded, very different from the dark killer he had witnessed hours ago. It was almost if there were two different personalities within the hybrid, a raving murderer and a reserved clone. Glancing at the man, he noticed Tanui had closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the rock wall, one hand curved around the bloody claw he had seized from the dragon.

"I cannot give you much time to flee, so hurry up before there is nothing left to stop him. Within the depths lurks something that could easily destroy all four of you and I want the next generation to have a chance at survival. Certainly you can understand that at least."

_I understand but how . . . ?_

Tanui wearily opened his eyes just enough to peer through the slit and found the dragon's curious yet reserved stare. "There are things I discovered on my own, things my Master knew but never told us for our own good. He . . . implanted more than just memories into our mind. I was the test subject for one particular wraith - as he called them - and as time passed I found my very personality changing and blacking out for periods of time . . ."

_That thing was the cause of it? Your madness, I mean?_

Tanui shook his head, giving a weak chuckle. "No, my mind has deteriorated over time by itself. The wraith, however, has used it as an excuse to begin a spree of slaughtering those it feels are inferior by taking over when I lose control. The more deterioration, the quicker I lose what remains of myself."

_Those veins that crept along your face . . . Are they a sign? _Tyst growled, folding his wings against his back and gingerly placing his wounded leg back on the ground.

"Yes. The faster they grow, the more it has dominance over my slipping persona."

_Yet no one else knows of this? _Tyst snorted, retreating a step as Tanui cringed, his other hand curling into a fist as faint flickers of lightning shimmered along the pastel flesh.

"I hid it from my dragon and from _her_ to protect them. I followed in the inferior's footsteps to keep those I love safe . . ." Tanui sighed, dropping his head back to normal height. "Get out of here."

Tyst paused for a second later and then turned, limping down the corridor as fast as he could as he tried his hardest to keep the pressure off his injured hind limb. Malie had to be kept safe; he had to protect both of them in order to give the next generation a chance at survival, or so Tanui had phrased it. Once he had aroused his sister, who hadn't been keen on waking up, they fled into the night sky, leaving behind their home on silent wingtips and hoping their parents would make it out alright . . .


	55. Unresolved

**Chapter 55-Unresolved**

Nethial hissed in protest under her breath, tapping the side of one of her metal limbs as she and Ladetis waited for Gregal to meet with them and deliver precious information about the clones that could be used to save Tanui's life. They had returned to the mainland in a relatively short time span, due mostly in part to the size of Ladetis's wingspan. Now waiting on the clone to return had strained their patience, too much in Nethial's case as she fingered her sheath expectantly.

_Now, now, I'm sure there's a good reason for the length of time that has passed_, Ladetis snorted as Nethial forced herself to sigh, leaning against his side as he lay on dry, cracked ground miles from Arxa's cavern to avoid having the dark dragoness come after them.

"A good length of time does not begin to describe how long that fool has been gone. I bet he's telling-" A growl of surprise choked off the rest of her rant and Nethial glanced up at the sky to see the distant shape of a dragon flying to meet them.

_He's here, but why in dragon forme?_

Ladetis's question went unheard in her mind as Nethial realized with a shock that the dragon wasn't Gregal and instead was the Corruption-controlled she-dragon herself. Arxa had gotten involved and it made their need for answers seem trivial in comparison to all the information she wanted from the very darkness that had kept her alive just to be used as a temporary host for something bigger.

"Arxa came. We attracted the wrong attention. Normally I would try to fly away but not now, not with her being so close. We must be cautious, Ladetis."

Nethial pushed herself away from Ladetis and stood her ground as Arxa landed before them, letting Gregal descend from her back before roaring suddenly, making both of them retreat a step. She could see the wisps of Corruption's magic just rolling off the dragoness and the thought made her sick to think that she had caused it by just returning to the living again and having her body used as a vessel until the she-dragon had come along.

_So the traitor has returned to where she was reborn, how fitting_, Arxa smirked as Nethial forced herself to stand strong and not retreat out of fear at just hearing the dark tone of the magic that had turned on her.

"Strong words from a spirit that took over an unwilling host," Nethial snapped back, hoping her fighting words would mask the fear that she had about confronting the shadows again. "Your power is useless against those that follow the path of light-"

_Which you do not. Testing me is not a wise choice, slave._

Nethial growled, trembling even as she felt Ladetis's warm breath wash over her neck._ _Who are you to determine what she can or cannot do__, he asked a moment later as she cringed, wishing he hadn't said anything.

Arxa throatily growled in delight, arching her back to let loose a plume of smoke into the air before bringing her head down to gaze at Ladetis. _Fine words for the son of the deserter of what was to be a family legacy. You would make an excellent commander of the clones, if you weren't so headstrong . . . Pity about that though._

Pulling her sword free, Nethial pointed its blade at Arxa, her eyes narrowed as she stared down the dark dragoness. Ladetis would surely be killed if he rose to attack Arxa and she couldn't stand to see that happen. If Tanui still had any connection to his dragon, its death would only make the mental collapse more damaging and possibly permanent. From out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gregal reach behind him and bring out a small cylinder that fit directly into the palm of his hand.

Changing her grip to her favored reverse-hold, Nethial motioned with her free hand towards the irritate she-dragon, smirking as she stepped to the side to let Ladetis move his head up alongside her. A single yellow iris met her questioning gaze and she gave a shallow nod, flipping backwards as Arxa sprang for her and a blast of poison made contact with the black scale-flier's chest. Running a hand along his white scales as a way of thanking him, since she was unsure of opening her mind to him at the moment, she paused, having lost track of Gregal during the attack.

Retreating a step, scanning the area around her as Arxa spat off a ball of black fire towards Ladetis in retaliation, Nethial was suddenly jerked backwards and a muscular arm wrapped around her neck. She started to scream but a sharp prick of pain in her neck stopped any attempt of escape as she passed out, slumping against Gregal's chest as he held her in place. Sweeping her up in his arms, he used the fighting between the two dragons as cover to slip away and retreat unnoticed.

* * *

><p>Pale blue light caressed her as Nethial regained consciousness to find that she was now in an underground stone room, a single door leading to the outside as the space around her was filled with various tools and several small, leather-bound books. Other than a metal table that she was laying on, there were several shelves built into the open area around her and even a wooden table that spanned the entire length of one wall to another. She was laying on a smooth surface that barely offered her enough room to stretch completely out but, as she reached down to her lower half, her fingertips met empty air instead of the steel she was used to feeling. Jolting upright, she glanced down to find that there was nothing from her hips down, the once semi-skin having been taken off as well as her constructed limbs.<p>

The door to the room suddenly opened and Nethial hissed in pain as bright light streamed into the small space, lifting a hand to shield her eyes and falling back down onto the table. Once the area returned to its normal illumination, she stared up at the being standing in the doorway to see that Gregal had just closed the entrance back off and hadn't even turned to face her yet. Hissing through clenched teeth, she lowered her upraised hand back onto the surface under her and waited for the hybrid to make eye contact.

"What did you do to me?" She screamed in rage as Gregal wearily turned to walk towards her; the clone wearing an ankle-length white tunic stained with blood that looked to be a mix of fresh and old.

"I saved your life," he retorted as he went over to the table that lay across the room from her, pushing aside a pile of loose papers as his shoulder-length black hair hung down over some of a large gash in the back of the garment, the size of the slash looking to be the same as a full-grown dragon's claw width. "The fight didn't last much longer after I knocked you out. Arxa followed after us and nearly killed both of us as . . . well, I have to admit it was my fault, since one swipe from her tail as she flew over us left you legless and me nearly ripped in half only to be kept together by my spinal cord. That dragon of Tanui's gave me time enough for my healing to kick in and I crawled over to you once I could, but not before I pulled my tunic off to wrap against the bleeding stumps that remained of your legs so you would have a chance at surviving . . ."

Nethial sighed, taking another look at what had once been her legs. "Ladetis fought her off to allow us to survive? I can't believe he would do that, especially for me, after what he did . . ."

"He must have wanted to repay you for what he did, I guess." Gregal commented as he gripped the side of the table, the sound of wood splitting reaching Nethial as his shoulders tensed. "I've been trying to come up with a design that was as good as what you had but nothing seems to work together right."

Noticing that the flesh that remained looked healed and had no trace of scarring, Nethial blinked, wondering how long she had been unconscious. "How long has it been since . . . this?" She asked, gesturing to her lower half even though Gregal couldn't see it since his attention was still on the table.

"Three days. I put you in a tube with the fluid we used for all the clones, hoping to accelerate the healing process so there would be less chance of infection."

"What about yourself? I know the clones have an abnormal rate of healing but how long did it take for you to recover from the blow Arxa dealt you? You did mention damage and having to crawl over to me . . ."

Gregal sighed, the tension in his shoulders fading as he loosened his grip on the wood and brought his hands to his side. He turned, facing her as she saw the faintest scarring of three claw marks across the entire right side of his face. Nethial flinched, glancing between her own wounds and his own. Arxa had dealt them both serious injuries in their escape, not caring who was attacked in the process.

"Her observer down here where the clones stay, the grey dragon that lingers in the shadows and watches all, ambushed me and left this as a reminder a few hours before. Arxa has Ladetis and I suspect she's been torturing him since I've heard his shrieks for nearly two days while trying to keep you alive."

"Why hasn't Jormundur found out where I am then? You did say he ambushed you . . ."

"I kept your location a secret," Gregal muttered softly, shaking his head at her ignorance as she propped herself up on an elbow to better see him. "Arxa did no different when you were brought back into life and Corruption flowed into her, leaving you an empty, broken shell."

Nethial hissed at hearing him mention her return to existence that had cost an innocent dragoness so much. She loathed bringing up the darker parts of her past, especially with Attor now dead and everything so different from how it had once been back in paradise. Slowly she forced herself to calm down and sighed, dropping her gaze to the metal under her as a section of her hair fell into her face, obscuring her sight and masking her eyes from Gregal's stare.

A sudden cough from the clone startled her and she flipped her hair back behind her as he wheezed, spitting out a glob of bloody saliva into one of his hands. The purple irises darkened as she watched him stare at the substance in his palm before he let it drip to the floor, stepping over it to come over to her. Only a few inches away, Gregal paused, going into a coughing fit that nearly drove him to the floor as he grabbed hold of the cot she was laying on to keep some sort of balance, letting more of the crimson-tinted spit dribble down and further stain his clothes.

"I assume your wounds are still healing," Nethial remarked dryly as Gregal regained his composure and rose back to his normal height, a faint sheen of sweat having broken out on his forehead as he wiped at his mouth with a hand while letting go of the table.

"This wasn't caused by her. I've had this for as long as I can recall, a deformity of some sort that hinders my work," Gregal admitted as he looked her over, placing a hand on the cloth above the bandaged burns on her chest. "Tanui attacked you and it's why you're afraid of him, isn't it? You're scared he could hurt you again."

Grey irises flickered with rage as Nethial shoved his arm away, glaring at him. "How do you know about that?" She snapped as Gregal chuckled softly at her reaction.

"Relax, you told me much in the last few days. I've learned some interesting things from your past and present. You really did love Tamli, didn't you? Why fault him for what he did when he protected you and Raoul?"

"You know nothing about my life," Nethial yelled, trembling as his words cut her to the core and silently made her reconsider why she even loathed Tamli anyway.

"Forgive me, memory attachment is quite strong sometimes. I can tell you what I know about Tanui's early days, if you want to know."

"I guess I don't have a choice," she admitted with a sigh as Gregal softly grinned, moving back over to the table and clearing off a space so he could sit down. "I figure his beginning must be pretty boring . . ."

Gregal laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It is far from boring, princess. Tanui might have been called the best of us but he was, in truth, far from that perfection. Amia didn't know the hidden secrets we kept from him, all the while hoping that somehow we could hold off the decay long enough to make our master's wishes come true."

Nethial nodded, rolling over so that she lay on her stomach. "Please don't call me princess," she sighed, glaring at him before her expression softened. "How much had the decay advanced that you had to hide it from your own creator?"

"Did Tanui tell you anything about himself?" Gregal questioned as Nethial shook her head, glancing away out of shame. "Well . . . this makes my job harder then. His decay started within days of his awakening, nightmares at first but progressed slowly the more time passed. We kept journals on each of the clones for our own records yet none of us ever showed Amia because we feared he would destroy all of us if any more created batches were all failures.

"I tried to maintain a sense of normality with Tanui at first, providing limited comfort when he would wake us all up with his incessant screaming, but that faded quickly and we got to the point of ignoring him. Nightmares may have started as the initial stage yet they repressed themselves for a while, only to lead into the illusionary voices. He told me about some of them but I refused to listen, writing it down only as another step in the progression of decay."

"You ignored everything he said?" Nethial asked, crossing her arms and propping her head up on them as she fixated her attention on him.

Gregal sighed, nodding. "Yes, unfortunately. Some time after Tanui started hearing the voices, a conflict broke out among the clones. Amia was asked to deal with the problem and, although he had begun examination on the next kin of blood for a solution to the mental decay, he reluctantly requested that one of our own deal with the issue. As to be expected, we let the 'best' copy take care of the situation, only to have him return more unhinged then before. While we suspected the killing of others had something to do with his change in mannerisms and even behavior, there was no way to prove such. Our only hope came when he was reassigned to a secret facility with nine others . . . the ruins of the she-dragon Misery's lab where the original hybrid had spent three months there prior to his death.

"Due to the relocation, we were unable to figure out the change in his behavior and spent months trying everything to get him to come back just for some tests. Amia had been training him in secret during this time and, when we did get a chance to see him, we could tell the days had not been kind. His mental state had deteriorated greatly and he finally lost control during one psyche evaluation with me . . . I still remember the haunted look in his eyes right before he threw me into a wall, witnessing firsthand the veins that crept along his left temple . . ."

"Veins? You saw them?" Nethial pressed as she inched closer to the edge of the table to better see his reaction. She had witnessed the veining on several occasions during Tanui's imprisonment but had never thought much about it until now with Gregal mentioning it.

Gregal sighed before dropping his gaze, gripping the edges of the table around him so hard Nethial could hear the wood crack and split. "I did more than just see them. I was the one who made them and, under Amia's orders, implanted them into Tanui. Wraiths, they were known as, were the-"

"The souls of deceased dark-magic users and dragons who had lost their way. I know plenty about them, considering I could have been classified as one during the time between my death and Corruption's restoration of me," Nethial muttered softly, averting her gaze as she glanced over at the stacks of bound books lining the numerous shelves. "Is there any way to cure or slow the progression of the mental decay, Gregal? I'm asking this out of respect for all that you have done and just want to help as much as I can."

"Nothing stops it once it has begun. We found this out quickly with the first few clones. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you."

Glancing away, her eyes still on the leather books all around them, an idea came to Nethial slowly. "I understand. Can I see some of the failed designs for new limbs?" She asked as her attention returned to the clone before her.

Without so much as a glance in her direction, Gregal lifted a hand free from the table and shoved a handful of loose papers towards her telepathically, choosing to study his paled fingers instead of helping her sort through the rejected ideas. Nethial caught a glimpse of some of the designs as they fluttered to the floor, none impressing her as she watched them land on the cold stone. Releasing a pent-up sigh, she closed her eyes and reached out to the fallen sheets, whipping them up into the air as the shape came to her of what had worked and what would work once more.

She heard Gregal cough again and flinched, nearly breaking her concentration but finishing the design as quietly as she had begun. Opening her eyes, Nethial realized she was staring directly at a near replica of her former metal legs, only shorted and having an actual foot shape at the end to take the place of the steel 'talons' that had blessed her previously. In shock, she noticed that the clone had recovered and was also gazing at what she had constructed just by mental thought.

"This is beyond anything I could have created," Gregal whispered as he slid down off the table and went over to the floating pieces of paper. "The design is simple yet beautiful . . ." Reaching out, he placed a hand on a curved sheet right before him, only to jerk back as the entire structure suddenly turned to metal and fell to the floor.

"Their touch affects the objects, turning it into whatever the hybrid wishes," Nethial mused as Gregal tapped the other papered limb and turned it to metal as well, chuckling as he jumped at the sound of steel hitting stone. "Go ahead and connect them to me, you know how without being told."

Reluctant, Gregal picked up the newly created metal and Nethial flipped herself over to give him enough space to place the new limbs. The first leg slid into place easily, bending to her command almost instantly, but as they were about to attach the second one the door to the room violently flung open, scattering a few remaining papers.

Nethial hissed, jamming the stump of her natural flesh into the metallic tubing as Gregal looked back over his shoulder to see that a grey dragon lingered in the open space, its yellow irises blazing with malice and Corruption's power. Once she had control over the other steel limb, she looked up to see what was going on and first thought it was Ladetis standing there but when the scale-flier limped a step forward, she realized it was Jormundur who had come instead. She could feel the wisps of darkness rolling off of his massive frame and wondered whether Arxa had tainted him or if he had just spent too long in the presence of Corruption.

"Why are you here?" She asked, reserved as Gregal placed a trembling hand on her collarbone and slumped forward slightly.

_Arxa sent me to keep an eye on you_, the greyling snorted in reply, its deep voice echoing with the thrum of the shadows and sending a wave of nausea rippling through Nethial as she remembered how it had felt to wake up once more in the cold world to be left to die by the same power that had preserved her for years . . .

**Cool wind brushed against her cheek, rubbing against skin she had not been clothed in for years. It had been too long since her last breath but she wasn't sure how many new ones she would be allowed to have. The cavern she found herself in was small, a quiet place that was far from any traces of civilization, yet also the perfect spot for her to be silenced again. That first breath had shaken her but she fell back into the rhythm without much difficultly, each rise and fall of her chest reminding her that she shouldn't even be alive. She had died in a war, speared through the heart by a shard of light as payment for her turning against the darkness she had originally sworn herself to out of desperation.**

**Her breathing quickened as shimmers of light bounded off the walls, bringing into focus a single black dragoness who blocked any light from coming into the area. Something about this wasn't right, her instincts warned, but she ignored her feelings and reached out to the beast, touching ice-cold scales. A soft hum rose from the creature and Nethial felt herself relax, realizing a moment later that the faint trace of shadows running along the body of the flier wasn't normal and seemed to be latching onto her.**

**Jerking back, she scrambled up against the wall behind her and then screamed, clutching her skull as it felt as if something was tearing itself out of her mind and body. With the pain dulling her senses, she collapsed to the dirt floor, curling into a ball as she heard the dragoness hiss momentarily and then fall silent, only the sound of its breathing keeping a measure of time.**

**_Leave her, she's no use to us now. Her fragile shell only harnessed the power until a suitable host could be found. Before any word of this gets out, we must tie up a few loose ends . . ._**

**The dragoness advanced towards her and Nethial could only scream as her very mind was shattered into pieces, fragmenting itself and reducing her to nothing. Only once that had been done did the scale-flier leave, abandoning her to reside in the small cave, a faint glimmer of blue light from the outside world dimming to nothing as Nethial blacked out . . .**

Gregal's screams brought Nethial back to attention to realize that she had been drawn into a flashback at the worst possible time. She had wanted to know where Ladetis was so they could escape and go after Tanui to save him, only to regain herself to find that Jormundur had the clone that could help them in a choke hold by wrapping its tail around his neck. Scrambling off the table, she jumped down to the ground, finding her height now diminished from the six foot sense of normality she had become accustomed to with the first set of metal limbs down to four feet five inches.

"Let him go, Jormundur," she commanded as the dragon contradicted his tail, putting more pressure on Gregal's windpipe as the hybrid squirmed to try and get free. "I'm the one Arxa wants, not him. I will go with you but release him first."

Jormundur snorted in disgust before releasing his hold on Gregal a moment later, glaring at Nethial as she made sure the clone was unhurt from her lapse of consciousness. Determining that no physical harm had been done, she reluctantly followed after the greyling as he left the room, silently wondering why Ladetis hadn't tried to communicate with her during their captivity. It didn't seem like the normal concern for her had even crossed his mind but, then again, he was still suffering from the distanced mind link with Tanui.

Walking down the empty corridor with Jormundur before her, his limping gait more adjusted then she had suspected it might be with how much of his forelimb gone, Nethial reluctantly admitted to herself that her bias towards Tamli might be a bit obsessive. She had loathed him for years after Raoul's birth but maybe it was time to let her anger go and see past his abandonment. The only reason he had left was to keep her safe and to protect his dragon, a true example of the Order they had once followed before darkness had fallen upon paradise. Having heard his voice, although the body had not been his own, as he held her dying frame had brought her little comfort and had only solidified her distrust and rage even with her rebirth.

Abruptly stopping in front of two stone doors, Nethial flinched at seeing the massive carvings on the rock before them. The scene which composed the structure told of a rising darkness that would swallow the earth whole, its vengeance finally fulfilled at last. Corruption's magic had formed this through Arxa's talons since the scratches were deep and pulsing with blackness that thrummed periodically. Repressing a shudder, her gaze turned to Jormundur as he placed a foretaloned paw on the entryway, making the monument slide backwards and then break apart to allow them to pass through.

_Why have you come?_

Clouded white irises clashed with pitch-black scales as Arxa stood in the very center of the room, a small hallway leading off of the area off to the right of her and blocked off by something very large and unmoving. Above them was a small tunnel that stretched to the open sky, allowing in fresh air and warm sunlight, although Nethial could sense Corruption's displeasure at the heat and illumination.

_She surrendered herself to me after I threatened the clone. It was quite simple, great one_, Jormundur growled softly as he bowed his head and backed away, leaving Nethial and Arxa alone in the open space.

Arxa snorted in dulled interest as Nethial tried to hold herself together after Jormundur left and the sound of stone scraping against stone rattled in their ears as the massive doors swung shut. Even once they were left alone, the feelings of unease continued to torment her and put her on edge. Here she was standing inches from the darkness that had killed her and then brought her back just to be temporarily used until a better host could be located.

_You seem on edge, Nethial. Why is that? _

Nethial trembled, clenching her hands into fists as she glared at the new host of Corruption's magic. "You know why that is, you monster. You took my life away!"

Arxa snorted, eyes narrowing as she advanced towards Nethial. _Is that so? You should thank me for destroying that pitiful so-called life you had. The corrupt were vanquished . . . leaving the pure of heart behind to start anew . . ._

"The ones that were left were traumatized by your display of power and Vanz's ruthlessness. If Corruption's magic hadn't invaded then none of this would have happened! The Order was strong until the shadows came and took over everything . . ."

_The Order of the Protectors was already beginning to crumble when darkness fell upon it, human. You admitted it yourself when you pledged your support to me nearly two months before the war even began. _

A tremble ran up Nethial's spine as Arxa circled her, lifting her bladed tail in warning against trying anything. Glancing over at the small tunnel that lead off from the main chamber, she spotted movement from deep within the darkened area, giving her a sense that something or someone was hiding there.

"What lingers in the darkness, Arxa?"

The black dragoness snorted in amusement, bringing her snout to inches before Nethial's face. _You should know from what Gregal told you. He did hear my . . . questioning and its painful effects . . ._

Slowly the realization dawned on Nethial what Arxa meant and she took a step back, glancing once more towards the darkened corridor. "You didn't . . . You couldn't . . ."

_Since his master broke the natural rule of no attachment, I saw no other option but to teach the fool what the consequences were . . . to the highest degree. _Arxa paused, lifting her tail in the direction Nethial found her gaze drawn towards. _Ladetis, would you please join us._

Deep, ragged breathing echoed from within the shadows and Nethial forced herself to swallow as the sound of chains dragging along the ground mixed in with the irregular exhalation of air. Two murky yellow irises flicked open, pupils narrowing to tiny slits as a thick mist from within the black corridor rolled out into the main area, causing Nethial to take a step back out of unease. Heavy footsteps shook the ground under her and she flinched, recoiling as pitch black scales slid out from under the darkness, linking the eyes to who the creature had once been. The dragon paused for a moment before stepping out completely into the light to reveal the remains of chains around its ankles and neck, the unbroken links, those on its legs, dragging the ground as its darkened scales glistened like solid coal. It was obvious that the scale-flier had grown much in the three days since she had seen it but Nethial was more concerned about its mental state as she could sense an intense spike of Corruption's energy around Ladetis and figured it had to have woven its power into his mind by this time, if the energy she felt was indeed radiating from his body. Large spines had grown from already impressive spikes along his back, opening at the top to leak a thin green haze that settled over his upper body while similar spikes had developed along his tail to turn it into more of an offensive weapon. His body mass had more than doubled since her last viewing of him but, as Nethial watched, Ladetis glanced at Arxa and lowered his head before the dark dragoness in submission.

_I am at your command_, he growled, his voice darker and deeper then Nethial had ever heard it before and she silently pitied him for having to endure what he had since their return to the mainland in search of answers for how to help Tanui.

_Good_, Arxa snorted, crossing over to him and coaxing him forward a few steps in the process. _Your final test is to kill her. Once you have then I will see to fixing your master._

Ladetis hummed softly and Nethial swallowed, grasping the hilt of her weapon instinctively, although Gregal had given it to her seconds before she left after Jormundur for her encounter with Arxa. Within seconds, the dragon was focused on her and opened its maw to blast out a sphere of poison at her as it had done in the past. Throwing herself to the ground, Nethial drew her blade and lifted it, hoping to redirect any blast back towards the beast. She had learned from their last fight but she wasn't as sure about Ladetis due to the stress he had been under recently with his master's decline.

As she had suspected, Ladetis shot a ball of poison at her, although when she tried to reflect it the blast passed through her weapon without harm and collided with the stone right in front of her. Surprised, Nethial inched up on her elbows only to be shoved to the ground by a taloned forelimb thrust into her back. A scream tore from her lips before she could stop it and she heard Arxa snort softly as the smell of flesh burning caught her attention and she saw it was Ladetis that had her pinned to the floor from the corner of her eye. Hissing under her breath at the pain it caused her, she forced herself to relax and reached out to the dragon's mind, hoping there was something of the scale-flier that had become Tanui's partner left even with all the darkness she sensed in him.

_Relax, Nethial, I know who I am_, Ladetis whispered softly, almost amused by her cautiousness. _Follow my lead and we will escape to find Tanui. _

Nethial sighed, cringing as more acid burned her skin from the close proximity to Ladetis. He had grown skilled in his element in the three days since she had seen him last but at least his personality had not changed. She wasn't quite sure how he would take the news about what she had discovered concerning Tanui, especially since she wasn't fond of the outcome herself.

_What are you waiting for? Kill her already_, Arxa snarled as Ladetis dug his claws more deeply into Nethial's back.

Hissing under her breath at the pain, Nethial glanced at Ladetis to see he was conflicted and unsure about what to do. Deep in her heart, she knew he didn't want to kill her after all that had happened to both of them since they had met but she also knew just how strong the pull of Corruption's magic was. She blinked, pressing her palms against the smooth floor under her and forced herself up, hoping the distraction would be enough to settle the dragon's mind on its chosen path.

Ladetis loosened his grip on her back slowly and, within seconds, a questioning thought rippled into her mind. _What are you doing? _

_Why are you so hesitant, Ladetis? I'm going to distract her so you can figure out what you plan to do . . ._

A low snarl rippled from his throat and Nethial was shoved back onto the ground, a deep growl echoing in her skull from the enraged dragon. _Let me handle this, Nethial. I have a plan, trust me. _

_You better act on it before Arxa kills us both_, Nethial snapped back bitterly as she closed her eyes, waiting for the end to come since she knew just how low Corruption's patience level was.

_Fine_. Ladetis's venomous reply concerned Nethial but she ignored the feeling and instead forced herself to relax, breathing deeply.

Ladetis lifted his taloned paw from her back and turned to face Arxa, leaving Nethial to blink open her eyes and look at him to see what he was doing. She wondered silently if it was rebellion as he advanced towards the dark dragoness and stopped directly in front of her. Arxa's low snarl of malice signaled a spike in Corruption's power, making him falter for a moment before staring her directly in the eye.

_I can't do it. Find someone else to slaughter innocents, Arxa. Tanui chose to walk a different path and so do I. _

A feral shriek resounded through the room as Arxa sprang for him, knocking them both to the floor. Within seconds, Ladetis was pinned to the ground by her superior skill, her ivory talons poised over his wings with the intent to lash out and rip them to shreds. Nethial gasped, pushing herself up on her elbows only to have an agitated hiss sent her way before she watched fragile tissue get torn to pieces.

_Disappointing me is the last mistake you will ever make, poison-wielder. Tanui is to be killed on sight for his actions and I feel you serve a fine example in your own way. From now on, you will no longer join those in the air, mutilated one. You will long to join them but the wounds on your body and in your heart will prevent that from ever occurring. _Arxa lifted her bloodied talons slowly, letting him go as she stood and glanced over at Nethial. _And you are but another problem that must be dealt with. Never would I have expected you to recover from the damage done to you upon your rebirth but I now see this moment as another chance to fix what went wrong years ago. Your disobedience to the darkness back then resulted in your life being ended yet the return of your fretful spirit leaves me little options as to what to do to ensure you stay dead this time._

Nethial watched as Ladetis attempted to get to his feet, only to crumble back onto the ground, snarling in pain as his eyes sought out her own. Arxa slowly advanced, her long tail swishing against the stone floor as fear overtook Nethial's resolve. She wasn't strong enough to fight against what had ended her life so violently the last time, despite whatever Tanui and Ladetis thought of her. Physical strength had never been her contribution to the Order, but she had been one for thinking on her feet.

"Leave Ladetis out of this, Arxa. This is between us, not your displeasure with the clones. Take me to do with as you wish but release Ladetis first. Once that has been done, I will submit without a fight."

_What are you doing? Nethial, don't do this_, Ladetis growled, glancing at her as blood seeped from his shredded wings.

_There is no other way, Ladetis_, Nethial snapped back._ You have to be Tanui's voice of reason. Flee and find him before he causes more bloodshed. Kill him if you must; Gregal told me everything, there is no other way to reverse the mental decay done once it passes a certain point._

Arxa snorted, smoke rising from her nostrils. _Fine, I'll release the weakling since he has no more value to me anymore. You, however, are a much more valuable prize. _

Ladetis hissed, lunging to his feet and then shrieking, retreating a step back as Arxa turned her head to see him through the corner of her eye. A single pulse of her fear element held him in place, trapping the darkened dragon until she was ready to release him.

_Gregal repaired your legs, did he not? _Arxa hummed, circling around Nethial as her gaze followed the insane dragoness, unwilling to answer._ _He also revealed the information you wanted on the traitor clone's mental decay, correct? I suspected as much. __Turning her attention to the large doors that had let Nethial into the room, Arxa hissed, tapping the ground with the end of her tail. _Come, Jormundur, and bring our guest. _

Nethial flinched as the doors parted once more to admit the grey dragon dragging Gregal behind him, the clone's face marred with fresh wounds that oozed blood as his body looked nearly as bad with crimson-stained cloth and deep claw marks all over. She mouthed his name silently but he passed by her without so much as looking at her and was pulled to a stop right before Arxa. Jormundur had also taken some damage, she noticed as she watched the dark dragoness stare down the clone, seeing several bloody patches along his back and sides and a deep cut to the dragon's snout. Her gaze quickly flickered to Ladetis and she saw he was watching her, a soft rumbling growl filled her mind as their eyes locked and the corners of her mouth rose into a brief smile that quickly faded.

_. . . You have been branded a traitor to the clone cause. Is there anything you'd like to say before I end your life? _Arxa snorted as she lifted her tail, twisting it around so that its tip was directly aimed at Gregal's heart.

"I only wish for the best of luck for those that oppose your tyranny, parasite," Gregal commented before Arxa thrust her tail into him, ripping out his heart and then letting his body fall to the ground.

Ladetis's shriek of malice echoed Nethial's yell as they both ran towards Arxa, only to get blasted backwards into the door by a wind gust from Jormundur as he turned to face them, snorting in amusement. Ignoring their wounds, Nethial climbed up onto Ladetis as he got back onto his feet, leaping up onto the wall beside them and jumping from wall to wall until they leapt from the ceiling above the room out into the open area above it.

Brown rock, worn by years of wind battering against it, gave away under Ladetis's claws and they quickly began to slide down the high slope, jumping over to another high cliff to scan the surrounding area. They had exited into a mountainous terrain, some peaks touching the clouds while others gradually sloped downward around the other edges of the area. Letting Nethial keep an eye out for Arxa or Jormundur, Ladetis quickly scaled another cliff and ducked under an overhang feet away, allowing them both a moment to rest as his wounds twinged with pain.

_We escaped_, he remarked as Nethial panted, bending over to better catch her breath. _Where to now? I can't fly . . . anymore. _

_We have to find Tanui. Crossing this mountain range might be the best thing for us now. I never realized how nimble you were though. Impressive climbing. _

_I never knew either but it served us well. Shall we continue?_

Nethial nodded and quickly returned to his back, letting him use the rock around them to travel towards wherever Tanui could be by now.


	56. Worth

**Chapter 56-Worth**

Overgrown vegetation obstructed his view as Tamli paused to catch his breath, closing his eyes as he let himself feel the dark emotions rolling from the clone and which direction they were coming from as they were his guide to locating the mad hybrid. He had been traveling for nearly a week now and still hadn't found Tanui, something that weighted heavily on his mind the more time passed. Ducking under a tree limb, he grabbed hold of the bark above him and swung upward, landing on top of the branch as he scanned the area for a sense of which way to go. An intense burst of mental power caught his attention and Tamli closed his eyes, reaching his mind out towards it.** **_He was close to the cliff facing, in a cave system looking out over the water_** . . . **Sighing, he let the connection fade and then scrambled up the tree, jumping over to another one as his destination became clear.

* * *

><p>Tanui's initial plan to fool Rados and Roylezn had not worked for long. Nearly four days since their children had left, his deceitfulness had been discovered, although not by an action he could control. He had learned to form a physical image of them quickly, giving the shapes some of his own energy so they could move about and act as normal as possible. It was only once exhaustion set in on him that the images flickered and faded out, and, thus, he now found himself pinned against one of the rock walls by Rados. The dragon had been too furious to speak, something that gave Tanui encouragement as he had also been plagued ruthlessly by the voices during his illusion of Tyst and Malie. Roylezn lingered near her mate's left flank, putting her right in the position of being hit if he drew his blade and swung around, given he would be allowed to move.<p>

_You chose to do this, why? What have we done wrong to you? _Roylezn asked as Tanui heard Rados growl softly in anger at his mate for her questioning him.

"You have done . . ." Tanui tried to speak but Rados shoved him harder against the rocks and he cut himself off, forcing his own silence as he suddenly sensed the familiarness of Tamli close by. His vengeance was at hand and he could slaughter these two to get his point across to the hybrid.

Exhaling, he shoved Rados backwards and off of him before spinning around and drawing his blade, pointing it directly at Roylezn's throat. If Rados moved towards them then he would kill her, it was quite simple. Informing the dragon of this, he motioned them to move, still keeping his blade even with the she-dragon's neck as he led them outside, being blinded momentarily by the bright sunlight. Once his vision returned, he lowered his weapon and reached out with his mind, forcing the two to begin circling him slowly, making sure a proper distance was kept between them and him.

* * *

><p>Tamli faltered, sensing a presence that was familiar but felt foreign to him, a possible connection he had made before his memory loss at Amia's hands. Leaping from a tree, he dropped silently back to the forest floor, spotting a rock outcropping just up ahead that could be used to find out what was going on down below. He slowly crept up to it, angling himself so that he could peer over it while only a tuft of his hair could be seen. It was spotted grey and, although crumbling to pieces, proved large enough to crouch behind and watch as he saw Tanui down below on the beach with two dragons.<p>

* * *

><p>Other than sensing the original hybrid nearly right above him, Tanui was enjoying torturing Rados and Roylezn. He hadn't planned on the hybrid coming so soon but it meant that his victory was ever closer to coming to completion. Tired of waiting much longer, he shoved both of the dragons back into the rock before him, the same rock that formed the base of their cave. Roylezn happened to be behind his right shoulder when he thrust them forward and so he spun, catching her directly at the top of her left shoulder and slicing down through her until midway through her ribs on her right side. He didn't hear a shriek of pain from her but, then again, her death had been instant. Using what remained of her body, once it finished sliding across the sand, as a springboard, he jumped from her right shoulder over to where Rados had gotten impaled by some of the sharper rocks on the lower portion of the stable base, his wings and back pinned into place.<p>

Tanui landed inches from the dragon, smirking as it shrieked and thrashed about in its anger and misery. He lifted his weapon and swung it, slicing clear through Rados's neck and separating his head from the rest of his body. With the skull bouncing over the pale ground, Tanui almost didn't catch the sound of boots softly hitting the sand behind him as he momentarily glanced down at his torn robes to see the dark bloodstains left by the dual murders he had just committed.

"Welcome, Dragon-born," he hummed in mock amusement.

* * *

><p>Tamli had originally promised himself that he wouldn't move even if Tanui did kill but he quickly rose once the first dragon had been killed, the female with the black-tipped white scales. When the second one had been slaughtered, he was already jumping over the rock wall, uncaring about how the fight would go as he knew he had to avenge those innocent dragons that had died simply because of the grudge of a mad copy of himself.<p>

Pale sand had cushioned his fall as Tamli landed softly behind Tanui, drawing his sword as he turned around to see the clone's shoulders slumped forward slightly as if it was struggling to rein itself in after the bloodbath it had caused. He noticed the head of the deceased beast the man had just killed rolling along the ground and felt a twinge of sorrow at the death of another innocent. Crimson blood tainted the ground around the copy and Tamli held back a gasp as the dead creature's skull was forcefully called into the outstretched left hand of the mad individual, watching as trembling fingers wrapped around one of the ivory horns.

A glimmer of light bounced off the bloody sword in the man's right hand and Tamli blinked, realizing it wasn't sunlight but instead the faint hum of electricity. So the clone had a secondary weapon then? It would certainly make the fight more interesting since they would be forcing aura against lightning. Tamli tore his gaze from the blade and paused as the lifeless eyes of the dragon Tanui held onto as a shield met his vision. An odd mix of purple and yellow yet the fusion seemed so familiar . . .

He took a step back, clutching his head with one hand as memories flooded back to him. Seeing the corpse of his son, his firstborn by Finca, had been enough to restore everything about who he was from the beginning until now. Tanui would pay for killing Rados and for murdering other faultless scale fliers. Glancing back at the oozing remains of Roylezn laying near an outcropping of rocks only strengthened his resolve and Tamli collected himself, sighing as he lowered his hand from his skull and tightened his grip on his sword.

"Welcome, Dragon-born."

The voice of Tanui was coarse and rough but still sounded so identical to his own that Tamli took a step back in surprise. He hadn't expected the clone to sound so normal after what he had felt for days radiating from the insane hybrid. It worried him but he put it out of his mind as the man turned to face him, smirking evilly.

Seeing his own visage staring back at him was confusing enough for Tamli but he noticed subtle differences since their last interaction. The clone's crimson irises, once the focal point of the facial features, were now dulled to a muted red while the center retained the bright bloody color first seen back in the ruins of Misery's lab. His hair, having been cut short during their last meeting, was now choppy, yet medium-length and long strands lingered around the back of his neck as the front was short in randomly selected spots. A shallow smile seemed to be permanently fixated on the man's face and, as Tamli watched, the faint outlining of veins crept up along the clone's left temple. Splatters of blood and dirt smudges gave the paled skin a more normal look but did little to cover up the sickly whiteness of the flesh on the throat and hands.

The clone's clothes were in shreds, barely covering up anything and revealing bulging muscles under ghostly skin. Three red marks trailed down Tanui's left shoulder until his elbow, the width of the pink scars signaling that it must have been a dragon who had left the wound. It wasn't a fresh injury as the healing flesh looked far too smooth to suggest the attack had been by either Rados or Roylezn prior to their deaths.

"Why do you treat Rados's skull as if it was a shield? He would be most disgusted at you for your mutilation of his deceased frame."

Tanui growled, tightening his grip on the dragon's horn he used to keep the object in his hand. "Your memories weren't supposed to come back," he spat, disgusted at seeing the one who had caused all of his trouble. "Master dipped the tip of his blade in a liquid-based Dragonisicm solution before confronting you to ensure those wounds wouldn't be healed by your diluted dragon blood."

"You killed your master, remember? In the lab, you destroyed him to save my life. Maybe that's where your madness began? I can't imagine it was easy for you to-"

"Slaughtered, ravaged . . . I am superior! You are nothing but a failed creation!" Tanui screamed, pointing his blade directly at Tamli as the original hybrid took a step back, bracing himself on his left leg before he forced himself forward and met the blade of the copy.

The two swords met with a flurry of force; each hybrid shifting inches in one direction or the other to try and get the upper hand. Tanui, after realizing they weren't budging from the blades' locked positions, swung Rados's head into Tamli's side, scoring a deep gash into the man's side and forcing the original to retreat with a snarl, his left hand going to the wound and coming away with blood.

"If that is the case," Tamli growled as he lunged back into the fight, twisting his wrist as he tried to get his weapon past Tanui's fierce blocking, "then you wouldn't be here, clone. I **am **Tamli Dragonsbane, son of the Great Protector Mirage and offspring of the vengeful spirit Szara . . . You were just grown in a vat to take my place by Amia's orders."

"No!" Tanui snarled, parrying the blow and knocking Tamli's blade away, nearly ripping the weapon from its master's grip. "Liar . . ."

Tamli spun on his heel, lashing out and kicking Tanui back a few inches as he gathered his breath, finding it difficult to fight himself as they were so evenly matched. He had gotten lucky when the clone had found him in the Compound and he used his aura to heal the wounds Amia had dealt him. Aura had been his surprise for that fight and it likely wouldn't have the same effect now, not with the man so psychologically damaged.

"Is that right?" He taunted as Tanui lunged for him, brandishing the beast's head like it was a bludgeon. "Amia thought you were the best but your mental decline had to worry him. Did he ever find out or did he even care about you?"

Screaming in feral rage, the clone slashed at his mid-section, the move blocked just barely by the hilt of Tamli's weapon. Ignoring the obvious, Tanui thrust the decapitated skull towards his prey, only for the item to get cut in half as it was aimed right at the tip of the original hybrid's blade. Passing the sword to his left hand for a moment, Tamli reached out with his mind and unused hand to toss the destroyed flesh into the ocean several feet behind them, hoping his son would forgive them for the brutal demise once everything was fixed.

Retreating a step, Tanui's eyes flared dangerously as he drew a ragged breath. "Master was proud . . . so proud . . . You are the failure! The inferior one."

Executing a complex series of moves, Tamli again locked the two blades into a stalemate to give him enough time to gaze into the rage-filled eyes of his own clone. "Let me make this clear, Tanui. You are a product of a former rider's disgust and need for vengeance. All the clones are just tools of a dead man who should have known better."

Lightning sparked up along Tanui's weapon and he pulled back, moving the collided weapons closer to his own pale face. "No."

Before Tamli could stop him, Tanui shoved him back with telekinesis and broke his sword free. Landing on the sand, the original rolled back up onto his feet and grabbed his weapon from where it had fallen next to him, inching back slowly. A second later he was staring straight into the tip of a electricity-flaring blade as the clone maliciously glared at him.

"You will not stand in my way this time," Tanui seethed as he reached out with his free hand towards Tamli's sword, wrenching it away and shattering the jewel set in the pommel by the force of the telekinetic move as it also that threw Tamli on his back. "I have plans . . . and you will see exactly why Master picked me over you!"

Other than the fact that Tanui finished his comment with a hair-raising scream, Tamli was unnerved to find the tip of the man's weapon touching his chest as he realized his own blade lay feet away and completely shattered. The clone was insane if he thought that by beating Tamli in a deadly sword fight and destroying the blade a victory would be sealed. There had been too much to happen in his life for the hybrid to submit to a failure just because it broke his normal weapon.

He opened his mouth to speak but Tanui flicked the sword up to his throat, nicking the skin in the process on his collarbone. Glaring at the deranged individual, Tamli spat at the bloody metal, smirking as the weapon was removed from its dangerous place on his neck. Still carefully watching the fiery irises of his enemy, he forced himself to clear his mind of malice and focus solely on the task at hand before his rage got the better of him and he became reckless with his actions.

The brief peace Tamli could find was disrupted by Tanui as the clone grabbed him in a telekinetic choke hold. He managed to fight off the weak attempt and staggered to his feet, backing away as he coughed. "Plans? Can your damaged mind even function enough to formulate future ideas?"

Tanui's hiss of disgust sent chills up Tamli's spine and he broke his gaze from the mad clone to glance once more at the remains of his sword. The blade was still gleaming but the center gem, the piece that tied the whole thing together and gave it unique qualities, was completely destroyed. He halted suddenly and his attention was returned to the lunatic hybrid as the clink of steel resounded in his ears and the coolness of metal scraped along his collarbone gently.

"Do not move," Tanui growled softly, placing the tip of his weapon on Tamli's neck for emphasis even as his gaze seemed to go unfocused. "Slaughter without mercy . . ."

No hint of the black pupils could be seen in the clone's eyes and Tamli suppressed a shudder, fearing the mental detachment must be further along then he had anticipated. It took him a moment to hear the next words spoken by Tanui as they were soft, almost inaudible.

"I wanted none of this," the clone whispered before turning his head to the side, snarling in rage at nothing beside him. "Leave me be and let me handle this myself!"

Concerned, Tamli said nothing at first, thinking the man was simply lost in some memory. When the copy of himself didn't respond to having the blade pushed away by a mental thought, the worry grew into realization that periods of psychosis had already begun.

"How the mighty 'perfect' clone has fallen," Tamli scoffed as he stepped to the side, readying a sphere of aura to use to blast the clone backwards into the rock facing that had been the backdrop for Roylezn and Rados to be killed.

Red irises blazed back to life and Tamli gasped, losing his fragile grip on the surge of aura he had been trying to build up in his hand. He discovered, fearfully, that Tanui had come back to his senses and was now strangling him in a much stronger choke hold then before, one that actually hurt his neck and was trying to crush his windpipe. The clone faltered for a moment before lifting him into the air, hand upraised to keep a focal point for his telekinesis as he lowered his blade to his side.

"I will make sure you remain conscious enough to feel every single minute of the agony until I decide to kill you. Your death will be . . . most torturous and I will ensure you feel the same pain I have, if not mental then physical."

"Why didn't Amia kill you in the lab?" Tamli questioned, whispering his question softly as he fought for a way free from the strong mental hold. "If your skills are as even as mine then why weren't you destroyed?"

Tanui let out an elongated hiss as he glanced away, dropping Tamli back onto the ground as he moved his sword to his left hand. "You were weak," he muttered as a wisp of black hair fell into his face. "Burdened by memories that kept invading at the worst . . ."

Red irises flared, blazing bright as Tanui let out a startled gasp before taking a step back, raising his free hand to cushion his skull. Tamli got back onto his feet as he watched the clone break down under his own eyes; the man retreating into himself and descending into silence as he closed his eyes and crouched down, dropping his sword to the ground to use both hands to press into his head.

"Spoke too soon about the memories, huh? They plague you like they had once evaded me," Tamli commented as he noticed the clone tremble and more veins creep up on the man's face, giving the already unnerving features a sense of true detachment and mental collapse into complete psychological decay.

"No," Tanui rasped, snarling softly as he lowered his hands and reopened his eyes to stare directly at Tamli, gaze wavering and very unfocused. "Too soon for demise. My plans aren't done yet."

"Fragments of shattered memories break your fragile conscious. How sad to think you were once the idealized copy."

"You don't know . . ." Tanui whispered quietly as his gaze finally fixed darkly on Tamli, the irises glistening as sparks of lightning arched from his fingertips.

A soft chuckle rose from Tamli's throat as he made a telekinetic grab for the clone's blade, sending it smashing into the rock wall behind them as it shattered into tiny pieces. "Let us end this petty fight, shall we?"

Snarling in disgust, Tanui jumped to his feet and reached behind him with a single hand. The ghostly white flesh returned curled around the center of a large ivory bone, the shape too curved and pointed at one end to be the cartilage of a deceased dragon. From the degree of arching, Tamli guessed it was either a horn or a claw that the clone had found sometime since their last encounter.

"My destiny shall be achieved. I will kill you and regain my Master's favor."

Tamli laughed, glancing at the new weapon in the hands of his foe for a moment longer before his gaze returned to the bloody irises. "With that excuse for a blade? I keep telling you that Amia is dead. You ended his life, thus he cannot praise you for whatever dark actions your mind may consider."

Branding the bone like it was a sword, Tanui lunged for him, grazing Tamli's chest before he could escape the reach of the object. Again and again the new weapon scored hits on Tamli but he continued to ignore the injuries, puzzled by why the clone hadn't just used the tool as a dagger and stabbed him. Evading one slash that would have nearly torn his arm off, Tamli twisted behind Tanui and grabbed the man's wrist, making him drop the deadly ivory piece at his feet.

It was a claw, polished to a razor-thin point and shaped to fit directly into Tanui's hand. The perfect backup weapon for the delusional clone in case his sword was lost or broke. Tamli thrust a knee into the man's lower back, forcing a scream from Tanui and leading to him crumbling to the ground.

Using the momentum he had built up, Tamli took the opportunity to drop his grip and seize Tanui by the back of the neck, slamming the clone's face down hard onto a pile of rocks nearby. The insane hybrid tried to roll away afterwards but a quick jab by the toe of his boot into its wounded side by Tamli brought out a ragged scream and it ceased to fight against the movement. Rolling the man over with a kick, he could see that the copy's face was slick with blood from a gash that trailed across a clearly broken nose. He hadn't expected the combination of recent blows to do that much damage, he realized as the claw slid into his hand by a subconscious telekinetic pull.

The clone's eyes had gone unfocused again as Tamli gazed down at his enemy and heard a repressed growl rise from him. "Failure cannot be superior." Snarling, Tanui pushed himself up onto his elbows, digging his fingers into the coarse ground around him. "Never would stand for it . . . Master is to be obeyed despite feelings. Feelings mean nothing and only show weakness . . ."

Placing a foot on Tanui's chest and shoving the man back onto the pale earth, Tamli pointed the weapon down at him as pity rose within him at seeing how low the clone had fallen from grace. It had once been the best of the copies but now it was little more than a raving lunatic devoted to a dead master. Despite his desire to kill the insane individual, he felt sorry for just how miserable its life had to have been.

"Weakness is what makes us human, Tanui. Without admitting our failures, we lose the humanity that gives us the compassion for mercy-"

"No." Tanui hissed, grabbing hold of the leg that held him to the ground. "Mercy isn't real . . . We don't ask for mercy . . . Master says mercy is just a tool of the weak to make themselves seem strong . . ."

With a surge of strength Tamli hadn't thought Tanui still had, the clone let loose a current of electricity along the limb that kept him grounded. Recoiling in shock and pain, Tamli drew back and gripped the new tool in his hand tighter, watching as lightning sparked along the man's arms and elicited a shriek from the copied individual. Even with the move having been done at close range, hadn't Tanui realized it would just flow back into him and inflict damage?

"You are the inferior one. Do you hear me? Inferior!"

Tamli took a step back, blinking in surprise. Somehow even with that lightning tormenting the clone, it was able to continue to rave about its mad fantasies. His memory trouble had paled in comparison to this. Shaking his head, he thrust the tip of the claw into Tanui's leg as it lay beside him, making the clone squirm and jerk back, thus leaving a jagged tear that almost completely tore the limb off.

Suddenly Tamli was shoved backwards and he collapsed against the rock facing that had been his high vantage point for watching the murders of Rados and Roylezn. Reeling from the telekinetic surge that had knocked him off his feet, he glanced up to see Tanui had regained his footing and was limping towards him with a malicious smirk. Feeling the warmth of blood ooze down his neck slowly, he lightly ran a hand across the back of the questioned area to come away with the deep crimson color that confirmed his fears that he must have injured himself after crashing into the abrasive stones.

A roar of malice from above them drew Tamli's attention and he glanced up to see a black dragon leaping off one of the surrounding cliffs towards them, its murky yellow irises filled with rage while the figure on its back unnerved him as he released who it was. Nethial had returned to life somehow, although not in the condition he had left her if her new legs were any indication. The dragon landed inches away, allowing Nethial to get off as Tamli noticed the shredded wings and thus understood the lack of flight, snarling and hissing as it eyed each person individually.

"Tanui! You." Nethial's cry of worry for the clone quickly turned to seething anger as their eyes met. "Stay away from him!"

Tamli staggered back onto his feet, feeling his aura heal the wounded area and leaving him panting for breath. It looked as if she had never aged past a day since her death, her beauty still radiating even though he knew she wanted to murder him for all he had done to her by leaving her alone to raise Raoul. He glanced at Tanui to see that the clone had stopped, puzzled as much as he was over the two showing up, and yet also fearful of the dragon that had brought Nethial. Being as winded as he was from just fighting one person alone, he knew he couldn't take on two at one time and so he reached out for the broken pieces of his sword before jumping into the air, shifting in mid-leap into his dragon forme and taking flight back towards where the other were that could help him make sense of what he had seen.

* * *

><p>Nethial glanced after Tamli's fleeing form, eyes narrowing with disgust as anger burned in her veins. The coward had fled to avoid a fight with her, she was sure of it. Snarling under her breath, she forced herself to calm down and turned her gaze to Tanui to notice his normally white skin was paler than it should have been, bordering on a greyish tint.<p>

Going to his side, she noticed the amount of blood pouring from his leg, staining the ground around him a dull crimson and leaving him weaving unsteady where he was. Ladetis growled softly as Nethial placed a hand on his shoulder, startling him and bringing his attention to her to see his irises were dull and lacking their usual shimmer. A brief smile rose on Tanui's face but, as he turned to face her, he collapsed into her arms.

"You . . . Why follow me? I am nothing," Tanui muttered as Nethial dragged him over to a rock so he could sit and she could figure out what to do with his wound. "Broken failure . . . Inferior was right . . ."

Nethial growled in protest, squatting down before him to get a better lock at his leg wound. "That isn't true, Tanui. You are who you are-"

"You said that before. Back in Tel-var when I revealed what I had kept secret. I believed you back then but now . . ." He moaned in protest, wincing in pain as he jerked his leg accidently.

_Now your faith is shaken in her and in yourself. Oh, Master, you've been through so much since we first met . . ._ Ladetis growled, speaking through Nethial as Tanui still wouldn't allow them to restore their mental connection to the level it had been before the hybrid's mental collapse.

Tanui shuttered under Nethial's touch as she gingerly examined his injury. "Have I changed so much since then? I think back to our first meeting under Arxa's cavern, Nethial. You were so broken so . . . distraught then. Look at me now. I am no different."

_That's not true, Master-_

Red irises flared up as Tanui's gaze narrowed on Ladetis, a flicker of lightning sparkling up along his fingertips in disgust. "I am not your master. You are nothing to me, dragon._ _Nothing__."

From the tone of the hybrid to the painful shriek of protest a minute later, Nethial quickly figured out that Tanui had finally taken the liberty to break his bond with the dragon. Silently, she was glad Ladetis was free of having to speak through her when he wanted to communicate with his, former, rider. While she was pleased, another part of her ached with the pain the hatchling had to be going through as it fell silent and backed away a few feet.

"Tanui, he is your ally, your friend," Nethial hissed, feeling it important that she voice her own opinion on how he had just destroyed a powerful friendship. "Don't turn your back on him, please. Ladetis was bonded to you for a reason-"

"He was bonded to me to limit my potential. Don't you see that this another test from my Master? The inferior one had a dragon and fell from grace because of it and now Master tests me to see if I will crumble as the original did. I will not be seen as worthless in his eyes, not anymore."

Nethial chuckled, amazed at just how far Tanui had himself convinced he knew the truth. "You killed your Master, remember? Before your mental collapse, you gave subtle hints that you had dealt with your creator. I refused to believe your words until I met with Gregal and discovered the truth. Killing Amia destroyed the last bits of sanity you had left, _clone_."

Limping to his feet, Tanui stood with his back to her, his hands collected behind his back. "I cannot deny you that. I saw things you would never be able to imagine. Countless clones dying before my own hands just because my Master wished it to be so." He paused, sighing as Nethial rose to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Gregal told me you came back changed," she commented, moving her hand down to rest over his. "None of this-"

"Is my fault?" Tanui hissed, whirling around and retreating a step. "Innocent dragons are dead and I continue to harbor a grudge with the one whose genetic material created me. Gregal may have told you some about me, but not all of it."

Ladetis snorted, exchanging a glance with Nethial before Tanui spoke up. "Leave," he commented softly, his gaze going to the bloody bandages on his side.

"But Tanui-"

"I said leave." Unrestrained venom poured from his words and Nethial took a step back, uncertain what he might do to prove his point.

A soft growl from Ladetis, one of sympathy rather than anger, echoed through her mind as the dragon came up behind her. Nethial patted his snout in reassurance before sighing and doing as Tanui wanted. As she climbed up on Ladetis, she reasoned that his mental decay was simply to blame for him pushing away the only help and support he had ever known. He would regain his senses given time, she figured as Ladetis turned and scaled the cliff facing Tamli had been injured on when they had first arrived.

_I assume you have a plan? _Ladetis questioned once they were out of earshot of Tanui, a lingering sadness present in his voice even as he tried to mask it.

_We follow after Tamli. He should lead us to the others and we can earn their trust. _She paused, glancing back the way they had come as Ladetis shoved his way past trees. _I fear he may never come back to us as he was. Gregal might be right in saying the only thing we can do to help is to kill him. Giving him time may be an option . . ._

_It could also strengthen his hate and make him see us as enemies that have alined with the one he has sworn to kill_, Ladetis commented as he slowed down, catching his breath.

Nethial forced herself to sigh, running a hand over his black scales. _Time will tell, Ladetis. I hope there is still a chance for any redemption of him. The years spent under Amia were not kind and now . . ._

_Now he is to decide what the next path he will take will be. We can only watch from a distance if he is to spiral further into ruin._


	57. Unify

**Chapter 57-Unify**

_Begin anytime you are ready._

Seraphina crouched under the shadow of a tall evergreen tree at her father's command, her emerald irises observing as he sat perfectly still in the center of an open field barely five feet away from her. Blades of healthy green grass under her talons cushioned her nervous movements and she fought to keep her concentration steady as an amused snort from her father confirmed that she was making too much noise already. It was supposed to be a training session for her to learn the value of limiting sound while hunting but, so far, she had not done very well. Her uncertainty had always given her away before she could even think about launching herself at the much larger dragon who was being the part of the prey for their exercise.

Shaking her head, hoping to clear her thoughts, she inhaled and closed her eyes before leaping towards her prey. Her father dodged her initial strike and darted away from her, slapping her neck with his tail as he unfolded his wings and crouched, glancing back at her to reassure her. Snorting in disgust at another failed attempt, Seraphina lunged for him, scraping her claws against the thick scales that lined his back as Sitedal let her shove him onto his side. Tiny talons fought for a grip as the sudden movement nearly knocked her off her captured target, her attention so focused on trying to pin him to the grassy ground that she slipped off minutes later as the dragon rose back up to a sitting position.

Unwilling to give up so easily, she snapped at the closest foreleg to her, only to receive a low snarl in warning as her father moved the limb before she could bite it. Crouching once more, she tried to jump up on him, only to be knocked away by a wing as he folded them back against his back. Knocked back onto her back by the blow, she snorted and rolled over, only to get shoved into the earth under her by a cold, hard snout.

_You still have a long way to go, my child. Strength does not come overnight but with time . . . you may become great. _Sitedal raised his snout, motioning for her to join him back in the middle of the field.

Disgusted with herself at her failure to complete the exercise again, Seraphina reluctantly rose and slowly followed after him, her gaze dropping to the grass under her to avoid having him see her wounded pride. In her mind, failure was not an option, not with how things had developed concerning her brother. Deep down, she blamed herself for his disappearance, unknowing that he had become bonded to the killer of their siblings.

_Do not be disheartened, Seraphina_, Sitedal hummed softly as she sat down beside him, unable to meet his gaze. _Even with your inexperience, you already surpass what I was able to do when I was that young. I am proud of you, my daughter, so very proud. Dhran is to lucky to have a partner like you by his side._

_I'm nothing special, Father. Surely you realize this after what happened with Ladetis . . ._

Sitedal snorted softly before lowering his head and nuzzling her tenderly. _You have a warrior's heart, my child, and it is your honest compassion that makes you feel such simply because you fail to realize the potential you possess. _

_I am barely beyond my first month of life_, Seraphina hissed in reply, shaking her head and freeing herself from her father's loving contact. _Yet you train me as if I am years ahead of my own age. Why? So that I may fail and prove you wrong?_

_Because I see myself in you_, Sitedal remarked as he closed his eyes, sighing. _Verdra doesn't know this but I have a strong attachment to you, Seraphina. You're brash and quick to act, traits I was once known for in my younger years . . ._

Seraphina got to her feet and circled around behind her father, her footsteps light even as the grass crunched under her ivory talons. She had never known this side of him before and it startled her to see the parallels between them. Her bond to Dhran was the same as his connection to his siblings, since she had only seen Ladetis for only a few minutes prior to his disappearance at the hands of Tanui. Coming to a stop beside his right wing, she crouched, trembling as a mental thought came to her that was not from either of her parents.

_Murderous traitor! This wasn't supposed to happen, not to so many innocent lives. There is a debt to pay for what has occurred and I will see to it being collected. _

Jerking away from the strange contact, Seraphina found Sitedal had draped a wing over her and had pulled her close to his side. A low growl of comfort reassured her and she buried her head against his chest, shaking in fear over what she did not know.

_A war is coming, little one. A massive conflict that will ultimately vanquish either the ones who follow Corruption's twisted influence or those who choose to fight against the dark tyranny. _Sitedal paused, listening to the panicked breaths of his daughter as he reopened his eyes. _I will do everything I can to make sure you aren't hurt by this. It's the least I could do, considering my parentage. _

As Seraphina nestled against her father's side, she heard the distinct sound of wingbeats coming towards them. Lifting her head away from the coal-black scales, her gaze turned to the clear sky above the tree line, noticing the vague outline of a dragon she was unfamiliar with. Sitedal, having noticed her sudden interest in the sky, growled lowly in his throat and stood, walking forward a few steps. Unsure of his behavior, she scrambled to her feet and followed after him, only to be halted by a low snarl sent in her direction, amethyst irises flickering to her for a moment before returning to the form of the dragon above them.

_Speak, outsider_, Sitedal commanded, his voice rough and coarse as Seraphina detected the slightest bit of insecurity in his tone, enough to unnerve her.

_I am no outsider, son of Narssia. In truth, this is as much my home as it is your own. Your training of Seraphina is a most noble cause, simply because of what is to come_, the dragon remarked, its voice and identity quickly becoming apparent to Sitedal and Seraphina.

_Tamli, correct? Why come back so early after you left to confront the monster that slaughtered my innocent siblings? _Seraphina questioned, hearing her father snort as she moved up to stand alongside him.

_I return not as a victor but as one that is deeply troubled, young one_, Tamli responded quietly, landing before them as the broken pieces of his sword lay clamped in his powerful maw. _Sitedal, may we speak in private? I have discovered some things that are most unsettling . . ._

_Of course, Tamli. Seraphina, you may return to Dhran until I need you again._

Allowing her father and Tamli to walk past her, Seraphina hesitated before following after them, wondering what the hybrid had discovered that warranted such a meeting with the only dragon among them that knew of the dark process of cloning. It was obvious that whatever they discussed wasn't to be heard by her, something that worried her with all that had happened recently with the deaths of innocent dragons lost to a mad clone. How much more could their small band handle before it became too much? Darkness could easily swallow any of them, she realized with a heavy heart as Sitedal slipped back into the shadows of their underground shelter. Even those with prior experience could be turned, although their will would be far weaker and that would leave them more vulnerable to Corruption's influence. Shaking her head, she snorted and entered after them, trying to put to rest the thoughts that had sprung up in her mind. They would be fine, as long as Tamli stayed as strong as he was.

* * *

><p><em>An endless stretch of sand spread out before him, so much so that he could see the tiny grains even to the horizon. Getting to his feet, he noticed first that he was fully clothed in a grey tunic, no evidence of any of his wounds having existed. Tanui blinked in confusion, suddenly hearing a sound coming from far away and began to move to see what it was. The more he walked, the further he saw nothing around him that would indicate life of any sort. Although this subconsciously worried him, he put the thoughts to rest and tried to call out to whatever he had heard. Despite his honest efforts to speak, no words came forth and he slowed to a stop, placing a hand on his throat as if to massage it.<em>

My son?

_Whirling around, Tanui took a step back in shock as his gaze met with that of his creator, the same man he had killed to protect the original template from death. Swallowing, he dropped his gaze, feeling unworthy of staring back at the one who had given him life and a purpose he had not fulfilled. _

What is wrong, Tanui? Why do you hide your face from me?

_Unable to answer the honest questioning from Amia, Tanui remained silent, watching the sand around him. A quiet laugh from his creator minutes later startled him and he jerked back, hissing. That sound could be heard from his throat however and he avoided his creator's gaze once more, ashamed of having shown disgust at the man who had made him into the monster he now was. It wasn't hard to see what he had become now after having driven Nethial and even Ladetis from him. Rejecting them had been hard but now . . . now he understood what being heartbroken did to a person._

You have failed your original assignment, thus I have no further use for you__, Amia commented resentfully as he took a step back, pale sand rising up around Tanui. __Your fate will be that of the ones that came before you . . .

_Lifting his gaze, Tanui saw the area around him change into a darkened room, leaving him directly facing a large set of doors with delicate carvings on them. Attempting to move forward, he found that his wrists were now chained above his head, leaving him vulnerable to an attack and making him unable to defend himself as he usually did. Suddenly the sound of breathing reached him and he swallowed, straining his eyesight to see into the bleak nothingness before him as he was unsure just how much distance there was between the doors and where he was chained to a large, upright stone slab. _

_Growling under his breath, Tanui closed his eyes, trying to sense the enemies within the space with him, only to be aroused by the smallest pressure of a sword's tip touching his chest. Identical red irises stared him down as he felt the weapon move down to his right leg, near the kneecap. Enraged at the metal being rather close to where Tamli had tried to take his leg off at, Tanui forced himself into the mind of his aggressor, his fury consuming the man's mental defenses but not before the pain of having a blade ripped through his leg caught him off-guard. His own scream stunned him as he overwhelmed his attacker's mind and killed him, the pain and blood loss leaving him feeling weakened. Unable to protect himself, he retreated deep within himself as he heard hissing rise from within the chamber, thus informing him that there was plenty more attackers wanting to kill him._

_A rush of wind brushed past him and then . . . ._

Eyes snapped open as Tanui pulled himself out of his dream, trying to rise to a sitting position but getting shoved back onto the ground by a firm hand a moment later. Glancing around, he saw that he had somehow moved up off the beach and into the nearby forest around it, as evident by the tall trees blocking out much of the sun's light from above. Clenching his teeth to keep from screaming, he looked down to see a middle-aged man crouched at his right leg with a bone saw in hand. Letting a low snarl ripple from his throat, he carefully watched as the newcomer brushed aside mangled flesh below his knee to place the tool over crimson-stained cartilage, nausea rising up within him.

Turning his attention away from the wound before he made himself sick, Tanui's gaze fell to the man who was working to save his life, or so he hoped. Jet-black hair, cut close to the scalp, spiked in numerous spots as brown eyes narrowed in concentration, a red shirt darkly stained in some spots as black pants stopped at his ankles. Black tennis shoes completed the look while the clone noticed high cheekbones and a narrowed face as well as a lacking muscular frame. His eyes scanned the immediate area around him for something to bite into while the blood-slick bone was being sawed off but he saw nothing and growled under his breath.

"I'm just about done, buddy. You've been through a rough few hours and should be lucky I found you when I did."

The man's voice, unnaturally high-pitched, grated on Tanui's nerves and he clenched a fist, closing his eyes as he heard the first cut be made on his mangled leg. Tamli would pay when he found him, he was absolutely certain of that and it helped distract him while the newcomer tended to his wounds. Despite what Roylezn had tried to do to heal his side, the original hybrid had torn the wound right back open during their fight, Tanui realized as he lightly trailed a hand over the ragged, oozing flesh.

"What the-?"

Curiosity perked, Tanui craned his head up and watched as his leg, now missing from knee down, immediately begun to heal and seal up the gaping wound in the limb. He chuckled weakly, finding the back of his throat dry and coughed, falling back to the soft grass under him. Apparently the man heard him because a minute later a flask of water was at his lips and a hand was pressing against his back to get him to raise his head and drink.

Warm liquid rushed down his throat and he coughed again, spitting out a little bit of it as the stranger withdrew the precious resource, leaving Tanui to rise to a sitting position on his own. His hands trembled and he clenched them both into fists as he glanced down to see the stump of his leg, the new flesh a soft shade of pink compared to his ghostly white skin.

"Who . . ." Saliva coated the back of his throat and Tanui swallowed, trying again to speak. "Who are you?"

"The name's Nathan," the man replied, going over a leather bound pack Tanui hadn't seen laying a few feet away and placed the hand saw and flask into it. "I'm guessing by your appearance that you've had trouble before, if your previous wounds are anything to go by. How you got up that cliff with your leg like that is beyond me but it seems fate brought us together for a reason."

Nodding his head in agreement, Tanui sighed, thinking back to the dream he had while unconscious. He didn't remember climbing the cliff either but he had to have if he was now in the forest with the man who had saved his life.

"You didn't have to save me, you know," he whispered softly, eyes going to Nathan as the man turned to face him.

"Couldn't resist," Nathan chuckled as he crossed back over to Tanui, squatting down before him. "What are you exactly? You're not fully human, are you? I mean that wound healed up unnaturally fast . . ."

Tanui cleared his throat, wishing he could take another sip of that water to soothe the dryness of his mouth. "A hybrid, actually. Part dragon . . . although it's not expressed as you might think it would be."

"Interesting."

Glancing at the stub of his leg again, a sense of brief pity rose up within Tanui. He thought back to Nethial getting her own legs burnt with acid from Ladetis . . . only to force the memory away as he shook his head. There was no time for regret or concern about those weaklings. Ridding himself of his dragon and his lover had been for the best, a dark corner of his mind whispered softly as he relaxed his hands and felt the soft grass around him.

"So . . . a human-dragon hybrid all the way out here, huh? Not that it's any of my business but why here? I'm guessing a fight went wrong judging by those wounds."

Unable to control himself, Tanui laughed at just how close the man was to the actual truth, only to double over coughing the next minute. His lungs felt as if they were on fire and, as the fit slowly came to a stop, he wrapped his arms across his chest. Trembling in exhaustion, he gently laid back down on the grass, realizing how close he had come to dying during the day.

"I never did get your name," Nathan remarked as Tanui sighed, rolling over onto his right side to avoid putting pressure on his healing ribs.

"Tanui."

Closing his eyes, Tanui hesitated to submit himself to sleeping, fearing whatever nightmares may come. His mind had been strangely quiet during his time spent awake with Nathan so he was almost certain he would pay for it during his unconscious slumber. Having not gotten a chance to recover from the strain of keeping two separate illusions active at the same time, he knew he had to sleep but his uncertainty kept him awake.

"I'll see what I can do about working on those other wounds tomorrow, bud. You honestly look terrible, although your pale skin suggests little time spent in the sun."

Growling under his breath, Tanui relaxed his arms and allowed himself to move into a more natural position, working his way into the bunched form he had adjusted to while living with Rados and his family. Tension in his neck made him lift his left hand to gently rub at the area, only to find the warm touch of Nathan's hand over his own within seconds.

"You don't have to sleep like that you know. Whatever the conditions were before you met me, their gone now. You're free to do as you wish, including how you want to sleep," Nathan whispered softly in his ear before removing his hand, the sound of crunching grass indicating he was walking away.

Determined to prove the man wrong, Tanui lowered his hand back onto the grass and curled up tighter, feeling the muscles in his shoulders twinge in protest. He had grown used to sleeping like this, from his imprisonment to being with the hybrid's son. A sore neck meant nothing to a fitting rest, which he desperately needed.


	58. In The Dark

**Chapter 58-In the Dark**

The soothing smell of lavender from the body of his fiancee calmed Dhran as he snuggled against her, having woken from a restful night's sleep. Aurelia was still asleep but he enjoyed getting to watch her sleep peacefully. Kissing her cheek lovingly, he untangled himself from her and got up, opening his mental connection with Seraphina as he tossed on a white t-shirt to go along with the black shorts he had worn to bed.

_Good morning, partner of my mind_, he muttered as he cast a longing look at Aurelia before leaving the room and going to find his dragon.

_You're up early_, Seraphina commented as she asked that he meet her outside to discuss something that had been bothering her as of late.

_I always have been an early riser_, Airu teased back as he stepped out into the tiny meadow that connected to the underground chambers by a narrow pathway that could not be seen from the outside.

The space was two feet long and bordered by medium-sized trees on all sides, save for the large tree trunk that formed the main structure for much of the upper layers of the Compound. White lilacs dotted the field but, for the most part, green grass covered the peaceful connection to the world they had once roamed throughout before Arxa's reign of terror started. In the very center of the area lay Seraphina, her black scales alight with the sun's radiant glow that made her body seem as if it was a living mass of coal.

_How's Aurelia? _Seraphina asked as Dhran joined her, sitting down beside his dragon and letting out a tense sigh.

_Fine but I'm worried about the baby . . ._

Emerald irises narrowed and Dhran shrunk back under the she-dragon's intense glare. _What is wrong with the child? Is it in danger?_

_Aurelia has complained about pain in her abdomen for the last few days but I'm sire it's nothing to worry over_, Dhran scoffed, placing a hand on her glistening scales.

_How far along is she? _Worry crept into her tone and Airu swallowed, fearing the wraith of his dragon if he didn't tell her the truth.

_Six and a half months_, he admitted quietly, turning his gaze to the grass beside him.

A low snort from Seraphina echoed into the stillness that enfolded them for several minutes, leading to Dhran becoming concerned about his dragon. She was unnaturally reserved about this, even for how she usually behaved. It seemed, at times, like she was almost bonded to the child as well due to the amount of interest she expressed in it.

_Aurelia should be awake by now. Go to her, Dhran. I suspect the child is not long to be due._

_But Seraphina-_

Soft growling from his bonded mind partner silenced his thoughts on the subject._ _I can't explain it but I feel today is when the child will meet the light of dawn. Trust my instincts, master, please. __

Unwilling to argue with his dragon when it was probably right, Airu sighed and got to his feet, glancing over at Seraphina to see if she would follow. A light nudge from her snout informed him she would be staying where she was and he chuckled softly in amusement before heading off to rejoin Aurelia.

* * *

><p>Dry leaves crunched under Ladetis's claws as he moved through the dense underbrush, keeping his senses alert for any sign of danger while Nethial rested on his back. They had been through much the last few days, although seeing his future come true had certainty startled him as he had put the vision out of his mind after leaving Tel-var and returning to the mainland. He had never been able to explain the poison 'touch' he had used to kill Jhira and Attor with, something he hoped Nethial would forgive him for as he had only fought back in self-defense.<p>

Leaping over a fallen tree, he slowly came to a stop and glanced behind him at the former-rider on his back. Several strands of her long hair had fallen into her face, obscuring much of the natural beauty of her lightly tanned skin from his immediate sight. The soft rise and fall of her chest told him she was asleep, having been as alert as him until an hour ago when she submitted to the exhaustion of her body from the recent stress lately. A soft growl rose from his throat and he turned, ready to guard Nethial as he heard the sound of bushes shaking only a few feet away.

Curious, he walked over to where he had heard the sound, brushing a large bush apart with his snout as his gaze fell onto two dragons, both nearly his own size. The one farthest from him was a white dragon with teal irises, although it was missing a claw from one of its back legs and the area around the wounded area looked unwell and possibly infected. Allowing his gaze to travel to the other dragon, Ladetis noticed it was female with grey scales and blue irises and attempted to move towards them, only to get hissed at by the dragoness as she shrunk back to the injured one's side.

_I mean you no harm, young ones_, Ladetis hummed, respectively bowing his head in submission.

_You're like he was, gentle as first_, the male spoke up, his voice soft and slurring slightly, leaving Ladetis convinced the dragon was indeed battling an infection in the leg missing a claw. _We trusted him, but he betrayed us and slaughtered our parents._

_Brother_, the dragoness hissed sharply, glaring at him for a moment before her gaze returned to Ladetis. _Leave, outsider. We will be fine and have no need of your help. _

Ladetis snorted in amusement, growling deep in his throat as he stepped through the bush and moved to get a better view of the two dragons. _On the contrary, younglings, you need my help. That wound is infected and, without medical attention, your brother could lose his leg and possibly his life. _

_I said we don't need your help. _A snarl rippled from her jaws in protest and his gaze turned to the male as it lay there in silence, eyes half-closed and breathing slightly shallow.

Flaring his wings out, hoping to awaken Nethial by any means other than mental contact with her, Ladetis snarled at the female's stubbornness to accept help. Her brother was sick, couldn't she see that? A small gasp of breath from his back signaled to him that the former rider was awake and could finally help him get the two dragons to see reason before the infection got worse in the male's leg.

"What is going on, Ladetis?" Nethial whispered, still half-asleep as the slurring of her words indicated. "Why have we stopped moving? You know the plan is to follow the hybrid back to where the other dragons are and make allies with them until we've given Tanui enough time to come to his senses . . ."

_A human? You have a human partner? _

Ladetis sighed, warmed by the respect he sensed from the male as its words seemed stronger and its gaze met his own. _She and I are outcasts_, he admitted after a moment, trying to judge how they would take the information once he presented it to them. _My rider broke his bond with me and left us, leaving me to care for her as we wandered aimlessly through this forest . . ._

Nethial slid off his back, the movement so similar to how Tanui had once done it that Ladetis almost wanted to communicate with her but knew it was better not to and save her the knowledge of knowing how much he was hurting from the lack of a mind-connection with another living being. The she-dragon's low growl of warning brought his attention back to her and watched as Nethial removed her sheath and placed it on the ground before her, kneeling before the two out of respect. He suspected she was relying on her memories of how to approach an unknown dragon as she had been lost in her madness when they first met, something that made him wonder just how she had survived the long years of silence by her down in the dark tunnels all alone.

"Peace, _dragoni_, we bring you no harm. I can see Ladetis has already tried to interact with you but you have forbid him to come closer . . . thus meaning I must submit myself before your mighty power and ask that we communicate with you and your brother as friends. We are after the same thing and could be powerful allies, if you allow it."

Blinking, Ladetis growled softly as he heard her accidentally slip into her ancestral language to address the dragoness, a sign of deep respect and honor for any dragon to hear the former tongue they had once been so used to speaking during the years spent in Paradise. It pleased him to know Nethial's recovery in Tel-var had restored the powerful rider that stood before him back to her pre-Corruption state. The she-dragon considered the offering of peace for a moment before humming and moving away so Nethial could walk over to her brother to see his condition.

_Thank you, Nethial_, Ladetis growled softly as he watched her tenderly reach out to the hatchling and examine its infected leg.

"Unnaturally high temperature for just a simple claw missing . . . How long ago has it been since the wound first occurred?"

_Five days. Adrenaline kept me going for the first two but after that . . . my strength started to fade and I became sluggish, almost feverish at times_, the white dragonet admitted as he exchanged a glance with his sister before hissing in pain and jerking his leg away from Nethial.

Nethial sighed, lowering her hands back to her side as she stood. "Almost feverish, as you put it, is confessing what I discovered upon touching your scales. You're racked with a fever, quite possibly caused by the infection in your leg. We were going to get help ourselves but I insist you come along, else your condition may deteriorate even further."

_We will come only for medical treatment. Do not expect our cooperation to last any longer than it must_, the dragoness snapped, shoving Nethial back and going over to help her sibling get to his feet.

"That is fine. Tell me, what are your names?"

_Malie is my sister and my name is Tyst_, the dragon commented as he struggled to stand up, his legs trembling as Ladetis could see that exhaustion and the infection had taken a toll on the hatchling's body.

_Very well. Follow us then_, Ladetis growled, allowing Nethial to get on his back before he turned and moved back out onto the main path, continuing the way he had originally come from as they had decided to trust his memory of how he left the place to ultimately return to it.


	59. Imperfection

**Chapter 59-Imperfection**

Sunlight warmed the side of his face as Tanui slowly returned to consciousness, finding he had rolled over onto his back during the time he had been asleep and had his right hand over his chest while his left lay on the grass beside him. Lifting his head, he glanced down at the knuckles of his hand to see no trace of the damage he had done to them weeks before, an injury that had finally healed after so long of leaving him crippled. A weak chuckle rose from his throat at the thought of much sleep he had gotten during the last four days while trying to keep the illusions active. Having only gotten about two hours of sleep a night, he could see why the wounds hadn't already begun to heal as the energy required from his own body simply wasn't there.

Moving his hand from his chest, his gaze traveled downward to his mangled leg and he stared at the stump that was left. He had been bested by the inferior once again, although he had been able to deal a few injuries back this time as their fight had lasted for hours, adrenaline keeping him standing all the while until Nethial and Ladetis had shown up. Surprisingly, he had not passed out even then but realized it hadn't been long after they left that he had blacked out and then later woken up in the forest under Nathan's care. How had he survived for that long with as little sleep as he had gotten? Perhaps the dragon blood in him had made it possible for him to do all he had . . . even scaling that cliff when he remembered nothing of doing it.

Shaking his head, he sighed and rolled over onto his stomach, looking for the water flask he had consumed from hours before. Using the restored strength in his arms, Tanui pulled himself out of the sunlight and under a large tree, welcoming the cooler temperature as his skin simply wasn't able to handle high heat for a long time as a result of years spent in the dark underground training to fulfill his destiny and take Tamli's place as the superior hybrid. Grabbing onto the tough bark of the tree he had struggled over to, he pulled himself up to a sitting position and collapsed against the hard surface, closing his eyes as the simple act had left him exhausted. His own shallow breathing rattled him as he listened to the area around him, reminding him of just how close he had come to death already. He hadn't eaten in days, doing everything in his power to keep those illusions active, although at the cost of damaging himself in the process.

Tanui was surprised he hadn't been plagued by the voices recently, having expected them during his slumber but his rest had been calm and peaceful. He was glad for the quietness as it gave him time to reflect on all he had been taught, trying to plan a better way to attack the original hybrid as his previous attempts had not been successful. The back of his throat stung as he inhaled, sending him into a coughing fit that drove him to his hands and knees and made him wonder if the fight had left any internal damage. Being without food for days on end might be another cause as well, a part of him reasoned as he opened his eyes to see the grass before him tinged with specks of crimson and he swallowed, tasting blood.

"I see you're awake."

Glancing over his shoulder, Tanui saw Nathan coming from deeper within the forest, a bow held in his right hand as their eyes met and he snarled softly. He wasn't sure if the gash on his face had been healed or not but his nose seemed to be back in its right place . . .although that meant nothing if he was still recovering from the fight and its harsh demands on his already taxed body. Pressing up against the tree trunk, he watched the man who had saved him stop in the middle of the open field where he had been asleep at and look at him with suspicion.

"You've been asleep for nearly a day, bud, and, to be honest, it worried me a little. How long have you been without food?"

"Near . . . Nearly five days," Tanui admitted, whispering the response as he swallowed and lowered his head in shame, moving around so he was sitting on the ground under the tree's roots while his arms crossed over his remaining knee.

"It's a good thing I went hunting then," Nathan remarked as Tanui found his gaze drawn to the stump of his right leg.

He had been so sure of himself that he had, unwillingly, left his own demise up to the one that he hated with all his being. Tamli could have killed him but, for some reason, the hybrid had not done that and instead left him for dead after seeing Nethial. Were the memories of his betrayal of her that strong after all this time?

The smell of fresh meat broke him from his thoughts and Tanui blinked, finding that Nathan had placed an entire deer before him, the man having gone back into the forest to catch something for himself. Chuckling under his breath, he studied the broken form before him, contemplating how the man justified his dual nature with something as meaningless as an entire meal for a dragon. Grabbing hold of the two back legs of his prey, he jerked, ripping them off the corpse and laying them to the side before he also broke off the front legs as well. Limbs contained the least amount of meat and he wasn't in the mood to pick through numerous walls of connective tissue. Turning the remaining meat over onto its back, Tanui slid it back slightly and moved around to place his weight on his hands and remaining knee, allowing his right leg to hang in midair as he forced himself to shift forme, realizing he would need to regain his strength if another fight were to happen between the inferior hybrid and himself.

A single bone snapped and he collapsed to the floor, feeling the change in forme try to consume his senses and make him forget who he was. His limbs burned with pain as he found the strength to raise his head, eyes staring down the meat as several cracks along his spine forced a scream from his mouth as he buckled back to the grass under him, twitching as he felt the beginnings of scales break through his skin and nearly bleed him dry. Gasping for breath, unsure of why it hurt so much to shift when it usually did not, Tanui failed to see Nathan emerge from the forest, an arrow already fitted onto his bow and aimed at the hybrid's chest.

"You shouldn't have told me all you did. It was far too easy to inject a small dose of Dragonisicm into that deer corpse. The more you touched it, the more its lethal poison seeped into your bloodstream. Combine that with the fact you've been without food for five days and it made it quite simple to ensure you touched the meat."

Agony flowing through him, Tanui could only snarl at the man as his gaze flickered to the bow, quite certain he would be dead within minutes. He had been outsmarted by a commoner that knew nothing of the forces he was dealing with. Another couple of bones painfully snapped and then silence . . .

No pain tore at him and both Tanui and Nathan glanced around, finding no evidence of the hybrid's attempt to shift. Blinking, he raised his head and noticed his already shredded clothing had not gotten any worse, slowly allowing a slight chuckle to rise from his throat.

"Thank you," he whispered as his gaze returned to Nathan, the man having retreated a few steps out of shock. "You've shown me just how much the dragon essence within me can take until it temporarily extinguishes itself. Perhaps it is fortunate for you that I cannot move, otherwise your head would be ripped from your body in a matter of seconds. It does interest me though as to how you knew about the Dragonisicm, or Dragon's Blood Flower that is poisonous to dragons and hybrids alike."

Tanui watched as Nathan shifted uncomfortably, the man's gaze dropping to the ground, a gradual understanding coming to him of why this commoner knew about the toxic plant. His Master had told the weakling, probably given him orders from beyond the grave to see to the destruction of his most prized tool now that it was failing its initial purpose. Eyes narrowing, he hissed in anger before noticing that the bow was still aimed at his heart, even with the lack of attention from its owner. Nudging the object with his mind, he managed to loosen the arrow from it and break off the head, turning it around to be pointed directly at Nathan's face.

"Listen to me, traitor. You will drop your weapon, which I've disarmed already, and turn around. Then you will wait until I can move and accept your death as it will come swiftly."

A sudden explosion of pain within his mind caught him off-guard and he screamed, thrashing around on the ground and unable to defend himself from the mental attack. He saw Nathan take advantage of his lack of concentration and run, leaving him to suffer his own fate. Slowly, a quiet chuckling echoed through his mind, the sound oddly familiar to him . . .

'_You honestly thought you'd killed me . . . . How predictable_,' the soft voice sneered, quickly informing Tanui that Amia had somehow been responsible for this to happen to him.

"Master," he whispered, noticing the mental aguish slowly fading and leaving him barely conscious. "I've done all of this for you . . . just give me a little more time-"

The anger of his Master spiked and Tanui found himself clutching at his throat, barely able to breathe. '_I've allowed you multiple chances to kill him by now and yet you continue to fail my instructions. You, like all the others, are yet another failure_.'

"That's not true," he wheezed, wondering if this was why the voices had been silent since the death of the hybrid's son and its mate. "I've learned . . . Please give me another chance . . ."

'_You were my hope that this would work and it didn't . . . Now you must pay the price for your failure!_'

An unrestrained current of his own lightning surged through his body and Tanui screamed, smelling his own flesh burning away as his Master tortured him for his failed attempts at killing Tamli. He wanted to defend his actions but knew it would be of no use to argue with the dead when he was being stricken with his own abilities to the point of death. Convulsing, he felt the last crackles of electricity dance over his smoking skin as Amia withdrew from his mind, allowing him to fall into unconsciousness . . .

* * *

><p><strong>Wisps of smoke trailed along the barren ground as the steady pounding of wingbeats told him all he needed to know. Luring the dragoness here had not been hard, given how vulnerable her master was at the moment with the life of his firstborn son on the line by Corruption's forces. Glancing down at his feet, he noticed that his right leg, from knee downward, was all metal and bearing a distinct similarity to what Nethial's reconstructed legs had been like on Tel-var. Brushing aside the front of a black cloak that hung tightly over his shoulders, he fingered the rough end of the wood staff that was tucked neatly against his back, its worn features carved by hours of work to ensure it would be as durable as any metal sword would be. Sensing the unease of the scale-flier as it neared him, he softly smiled and lowered the hood of his cloak as his muted red irises searched the blood red clouds for any sign of the one he was destined to destroy. <strong>

**As pearled white scales fell into his view, Tanui retreated to allow the dragon to land, intent on discovering the location of his foe and making the hybrid feel his pain. Tendrils of power coursed through him but he restrained himself, noting that the use of his primary weapon would cripple his artificial limb and lead to his downfall. A soft hiss from the she-dragon signaled her readiness to end their conflict and he grinned, the cracking of his face from the wraith's essence inside of him painting his ghostly skin in lines of black. **

_Welcome, Finca_****, he whispered as he drew aside his cloak and reached for the staff strapped to his back. ****_I see time has not lessened your urge for violence or your desire to protect those close to you. Quite a fatal flaw, wouldn't you agree?_

_Thanks to you and that_ parasite_, Raoul and Nethial are in danger and Tamli chose to protect them over me. I am his dragon, his soul mate, yet he picks the weaklings over his own love . . . _**She hissed in reply, eyes narrowing as the tip of her tail quivered in anger. **

_Such is the balance of existence, my dear Finca_**, Tanui hummed as he shed his cloak to reveal a light grey tunic and black pants, bringing out his carved staff to grip it in front of him with both hands.**

_A staff made of wood. . . and you call my mate weak_**, Finca snorted in disgust before she sprang for him, her claws smacking against the hardened wood as Tanui ducked and raised his weapon. **

**Dropping to the ground, he rolled under her chest and came up beside her left side, lashing out with a telekinetic shove that splintered the bones in her wing before leaping back to avoid a blast of Shadowfire from the pained dragoness. Planting the end of his staff in the ground, Tanui gripped it with both hands and jumped, swinging himself around to deliver a powerful kick into both her side and her snout as she craned her neck to try and reach him. Getting his feet back on solid ground, he lifted his staff and backed up, bracing it out in front of him as she turned to face him and opened her maw to send another blast of Shadowfire at him . . . .**

* * *

><p>His own screaming woke him up as Tanui jolted upright, hands trembling as he examined his arms and hands, finding no evidence of the electrical torture he had gone through. Surprised, his gaze flickered to his leg to see someone, he presumed Nathan, had wrapped the stump in white linens despite how clean the wound had healed. He quickly glanced around to find he was under a tree, shivering despite the comfortably warm temperature. Pressing a hand to his temple, he gingerly leaned back against the tree trunk and raised his eyes to see the sun was high in the sky.<p>

Had he experienced a prolonged vision? The torture had felt real and so had the dream but had it all just come from his mind? Shaking his head, Tanui did his best to put the thought from his mind and used the tree trunk as a base to get to his feet, leaning against the aged wood as he pondered the fight with Finca. He had set his sights on other individuals close to Tamli before but he had made a point to stay clear of the original's dragon for reasons he was unsure. Going after Finca seemed his best chance to get the hybrid alone now, especially after having killed his dragonic son and its mate. Closing his eyes, he sighed and raised his left hand, feeling the grass under him stir and break off to float before him. Making a new leg would not be challenging after all he had gone through but it would tax his still weakened body and if his mental state was as broken as he thought it was . . .

"You're awake!"

Nathan's shrill remark startled him from his concentration and Tanui snarled, dropping his hold on the floating grass as he opened his eyes and stared down the man in anger. A large pack was swung over one shoulder as Nathan approached cautiously, slowing to a stop as Tanui let out an irritated hiss. He had been close to making a limb for himself but to do that required complete concentration on the task and it seemed impossible for that to occur in his present company.

"Get out of here," Tanui growled as he crossed his arms over his chest, a faint hum of electricity sparking from his fingertips as he thought back to the vision and how he had been betrayed by the man.

"I mean you no harm, Tanui," Nathan insisted as he took a step forward, only to get thrown onto his back by a weak telekinetic push as Tanui closed his eyes, the back of his skull throbbing in protest.

Raising a hand, Tanui let loose a stream of electricity and watched as it surrounded Nathan, the man's screams bringing a smile to his face as he returned to making his new limb. He again levitated grass into the air and manipulated them into a replica of the design for Nethial's legs in Tel-var before gently touching the floating plant life to turn it into metal. Sliding the stump of his right leg into the new appendage he had made for himself, Tanui opened his eyes and glanced down to examine his work.

Bands of metal curved around the base of the leg, slowly becoming smaller until they reached the foot where a single piece of steel had been broken into three pieces and welded together to give the impression of talons, allowing the limb a bird-like appearance. Tanui had also built up the steel higher then just the point of injury to protect the flesh around the wound as well, although it could be seen as another way to keep the new mechanism attached.

"You have outlived your usefulness," Tanui remarked as he walked forward, lifting up Nathan in a choke hold telekinetically due to his fear of destroying his new leg if he used electricity. "Be thankful I am choosing to destroy you in this manner, otherwise your death could be quite painful."

Clenching his outstretched hand, he saw Nathan collapse against his hold and he flung the man to the ground, snapping his neck as he did so before he walked past. He may have lost his sword but, from the vision he had experienced, he realized he could create something that could be as strong as the ancient steel used to form the deadly blades. Finding the resources necessary to recover his strength was of the upmost importance before even beginning to consider how to craft the staff he had seen within the dream. Tamli would simply have to wait until he had restored himself as best he could, otherwise his death was all but certain.


	60. Rekindle Flames

**Chapter 60-Rekindle Flames**

Tamli could sense the growing darkness over the land, its source stemming from two completely different individuals. Corruption's magic, long since buried within the hearts and souls of humans and dragons alike, reminded him of a coming storm as its influence seemed to expand with each passing day. The other area was directly concentrated around his darker 'brother' and it worried him far greater since he had seen the depths of its desperation to kill those close to him in order to bring about his own emotional pain. Had it not been for Rados's death, he would have never recovered his memory in time to see his beloved mate through the loss of her closest friend and ally. Makiar had been like a second mother to Finca and it made sense to let her grief but he was concerned over when Tanui would strike next.

Sighing, he opened his eyes to glance around the small chamber Finca had lay claim to months before his return to life, pleased she wasn't with him as he was grieving in his own way over the death of his son by the hands of an unstable clone. A single ripple of energy from outside the Compound attracted his attention and he stood, growling softly as the presence felt familiar to him. Reaching out to Sitedal, he asked the dragon if it would accompany him just to be certain they weren't being attacked by Corruption's forces.

_I understand your concern, hybrid_, Sitedal snorted in reply before assuring Tamli he would follow only to protect their home.

Meeting the dark dragon at the base of the structure, Tamli studied Sitedal as he let the younger scale-flier take the lead. Before him was a dragon that, based solely upon its upbringing, should have turned to Corruption's dark influence as had its mother. It still surprised him that Sitedal continued to hold against him Tanui's murder of Seraphina's two siblings when he had been unconscious at the time.

Shaking his head, Tamli snorted softly and stopped, remembering why the presence felt so familiar. Nethial had followed after him yet he did not sense Tanui anywhere close by, implying only she and the dragon had come. A low hiss from Sitedal caught his attention and he blinked, stepping out into the open area as his gaze was met by two other dragons alongside the ones he had sensed already.

_Who are you to come upon our land? _Sitedal questioned with a rippling growl as Tamli felt a shimmering darkness rise temporarily to the surface from within the dragon.

"We come for protection and for help," Nethial admitted, her voice bringing back the memories Tamli had buried for years and he snarled, focusing his entire attention directly on her.

_The two we have with us . . . they require medical assistance. _

A low growl rippled from Sitedal as the dragon spoke and Tamli glanced at him, noticing the similarities between the two in terms of color and stature. Nethial took a step to the side and Tamli's gaze flickered back to her before he realized she had moved to let him see the two scale-fliers they had brought with them. He took note of the fact that the leading dragon was a small grey female with blue irises standing protectively in front of a white full-grown male with teal colored eyes nursing an injured hind limb.

"This is Malie and Tyst, the offspring of a loving family that was ripped away all too soon." Nethial's gaze fell to Tamli, her grey irises darkening as she directed her next words to him alone. "You know who the one was that did this, Tamli. Something must be done about him before things get worse."

Hesitating as her words stirred up emotions long hidden with him, Tamli quietly asked Sitedal to take the dragons down below and leave him with Nethial. Although he sensed the male's displeasure to let him be alone with her, the dragon turned and led the others inside the Compound, pausing only briefly to glance back at him before descending as well into the underground. Left with the woman he had fallen in love with so many years ago, he was uncertain what to say as she studied him, tapping a finger against the side of her right leg.

"You've changed," she remarked icily as he sighed, forcing himself to shift back into his human forme so it would be easier to talk to her directly.

Clenching his hands to keep from showing the pain of his change, Tamli chuckled at her reception of him, realizing she still loathed him for what he had done to protect her and Raoul. "As have you," he replied after a moment, relaxing and collecting his hands behind his back. "Why don't we walk? I'm certain there's much to discuss."

Leading her away from the entrance to the Compound, Tamli briefly wondered how she had survived the long years since he had last seen her as she lay dying in his arms. For Nethial to now have metal legs indicated something traumatic must have occurred, although exactly the reason was unknown to him. She also carried herself differently as well, her once regal stride now slowed and she seemed uncertain as they walked into the surrounding forest.

"Why single me out when you mentioned Tanui? Sitedal knows he exists and even blamed me for a crime the delusional clone committed."

Nethial stopped, placing her hand on a tree right beside her, avoiding his gaze as he turned to face her. "I learned valuable information about the clones from one of them before Arxa killed him and maimed Ladetis . . . It reminded me of how powerless I was when that light shard ripped through my body . . ."

"I witnessed it, remember? Everything in me wanted to save you but, in that state, I couldn't do anything and had to watch you die. You don't know how much I blamed myself for that for years . . ."

"The clone isn't evil, Tamli. I've seen a side of him that I never thought would exist after learning what I did," Nethial commented as she turned and leaned up against the tree, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked him in the face.

"Tanui murdered hatchlings, killed my son and his mate, maimed Tyst . . . and you say he's not evil. He is the exact opposite of everything I am, Nethial. Amia set out to make a perfect replica of my being and he ultimately created the perfect weapon to use against me," Tamli spat, resting a hand on his hip where his pommel would usually be had it not been broken into pieces by the delusional copy of himself.

Straightening herself, Nethial stared him down as she hissed, "You're wrong. Everything you are is exactly who he is down to the most basic needs. I've been with him in the quietest moments, seen how he spends each day in torment because of the duality of his nature and how driven he is to complete the task Amia gave to him . . ."

"Before he killed his creator in cold blood. There is no humanity in him, trust me."

Nethial lifted a hand, rubbing her neck gingerly before she spoke again, her voice softer and guarded. "I know what he's like but there is a darkness to him that wasn't in you."

"He attacked you?" Tamli questioned, curious but also realizing that he might have found the answer to why she now had metallic legs.

"Tanui held his imperfection a secret for so long only to bring it out on me by accident. I had already been attacked by Ladetis, the dragon's poison stripping me of my legs from knee downward, and then for him to damage me . . ."

"What type of damage?"

Acting on instinct, Tamli snarled, shoving Nethial back against the bark behind her as he spun around, grabbing her sword from its sheath and settling into a crouch. From the way they had come, Raoul walked out of the shadow of another tree, hands upraised to show he meant no harm.

"Relax, I heard your voices and came only to see for myself," Raoul informed them as his eyes focused on Tamli, directly avoiding Nethial's gaze as she pushed her way past the hybrid and took a few steps towards him.

"My son-"

Violet eyes narrowed as a low growl rose from Raoul's throat automatically. "I want nothing to do with you, _mother_. Last time we interacted, you nearly choked me to death so imagine my displeasure at learning you survived the war. Father didn't tell me because there was no need to, the clones took care of seeing that I was informed."

Tamli relaxed, returning the blade back its sheath and standing back up at full height as he glanced at Nethial briefly before his attention focused back on his son. "Raoul, leave us. This does not concern you-"

"Of course it concerns me, father. If I can sense the stirring of emotions within you at just the sight of her, then imagine what she feels in this instant. For me to leave you alone with her is breaking every commitment to Finca you ever made once she turned you."

"How dare you claim I value your mother's life over the promise I made to my soul mate," Tamli snapped back as he advanced towards Raoul. "Now go back to the Compound."

"Listen to your father, Raoul," Nethial whispered as she retreated back to the tree, averting her gaze from both of them as she wrapped her arms around her chest.

Raoul stayed where he was for a few seconds before sighing and walking off, leaving Tamli and Nethial alone once more. The hybrid wasn't exactly sure what to say as he turned around to notice Nethial tenderly uncross her arms and raise up the front of her tunic. White cloth had been bound across her chest and, as Tamli watched, she untied the fabric and let it fall to the ground, revealing bloody, cracked skin that looked inflamed.

"Did Tanui do this?" Tamli asked tentatively as their gazes met, unspoken pain masking Nethial's grey irises as she hesitated to touch the red area.

"He panicked, reacting the only way he knew how. Raoul mentioned the choking and Tanui did the same to me," Nethial confessed, lifting a hand to indicate the bandages on her neck. "I got the healers in Tel-var to look at it but they never did anything and left me to deal with it myself. What I don't understand is that Tanui has electricity yet this resembles a burn . . ."

"You've gone through so much since I last saw you with my own eyes," Tamli admitted as he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping she would see the action as one of friendship. "Tanui has become a threat to all of us but I think I know someone who can help us figure out how to stop him."

"How? I spoke with another clone and found out nothing stops the mental decay once it passes a certain point and Tanui has, most certainly, surpassed that milestone."

"I don't know, Nethial, but we will find out how to stop him, I promise you." Gently taking her arm, Tamli encouraged her to follow him, determined to meet with Sitedal and discover all the dragon knew about the clones so they could formulate a plan to stop Tanui.

* * *

><p>Sitedal made sure Tyst and Malie were seen by Aurelia before he motioned for Ladetis to follow him into a small corridor just feet away from the chamber the healer used. His son had come back to him changed, that much he could sense without having to be told. It did worry him to notice the lack of the clone hybrid though and he decided to question his offspring on its location.<p>

_He broke the bond with me and then left, that's all I know_, Ladetis confessed as he avoided his father's steady gaze, glancing down at the chains around his ankles.

_Tanui is still a threat to us. If you know something, tell me._

A low growl rippled from Ladetis's throat. _I told you all I know! The clone isn't even mentally stable anymore and, I suspect, likely can't trust its own mind._

_Psychosis is that advanced . . . Anything about visions?_

Ladetis shook his head, snorting. _No, but he was considered extremely dangerous when Nethial and I left Tel-var to find a way to help him. She thinks he can be restored to the sanity he once held but I know that isn't possible. _

_You would be right, my son_, Sitedal growled, nuzzling him briefly before he stepped back. _How broken was Nethial when you found her?_

Raising a foreleg, Ladetis examined the stained talons in detail before he muttered, _Completely lost and unable to remember much of anything, why?_

_Because I fear there will be others like her once this war ends. Those steeped so far into Corruption's darkness that they will be unable to rejoin those that exist without it . . ._

Ladetis growled, lowering his leg back onto the ground and lifting the tip of his tail. _You asked the question because you're worried about Narssia, aren't you?_

_She was my mother so I naturally fear for her sanity, whatever may remain now_, Sitedal replied with a low snarl, glancing back towards where Aurelia was examining the two dragons. _What about the darkness I sense in you, my child? Arxa attacked you because of your closeness to us . . ._

_Arxa had little part in my change, father. Corruption told me it could fix Tanui and I believed it, trusted it. My hope killed an innocent clone and left me unable to fly._

Sitedal hummed, realizing how similar the path he had once walked himself had been when Corruption's power first sprang to life inside Narssia. A sudden crash and scream from inside the room startled both dragons and Ladetis turned, readying a sphere of poison in his maw. Surprised by what his son's element was, Sitedal stepped past him and hissed in displeasure as a rippling thought from Tamli entered his mind.

_What is going on, Sitedal? Aurelia's screams reached me all the way outside. Check on her but I suspect Dhran will be there within moments to aid you, especially with his love so close to giving birth. _

Another scream rose from inside the room and Sitedal growled, sliding his tail against his son's side as he turned to leave._ _Relax, Ladetis, this is not our fight. Follow me, I have something to show you . . ._ _

Snarling softly, Ladetis reluctantly closed his maw and followed after his father. As they traveled, Sitedal didn't waste much time in getting reacquainted with his son and did his best not to bring up the clone after what had happened. He suspected it would likely cause a rift between them and he didn't want to repeat what had occurred with him and Jormundur.

_You trust Nethial, don't you? _Sitedal asked after a moment, still continuing to make his way down the hallway as his son walked behind him.

_Is it that easy to sense? _Ladetis retorted wearily, shoulders sagging as he lowered his head and slowed to a halt.

_I only ask because I am curious, Ladetis. You don't have to answer but, if what I feel is correct, then you have nothing to hide._

The dragonet snorted, closing its eyes as Sitedal stopped and turned to look at him. Ladetis had been through numerous conflicts which had left scars, both physical and mental. Perhaps it was fitting that his son had finally returned to heal the wounds of its soul in the place where all the pain had begun.

_I blamed Tamli at first for the murder of your siblings_, Sitedal admitted as Ladetis had not commented on what he had said. _I didn't realize the impact the clone had until it was too late and you were gone. _

Ladetis snorted in dulled interest as he glanced at his father._ When we met Nethial, I saw her as who Tanui would eventually become. I loathed her at first simply because I was afraid that I would lose the only one who had defended me. Once he started declining, I reached out to her, although it was, at first, a way of keeping contact with him since he wouldn't let me touch his mind. After he broke our bond, I realized I was growing attached to her and now . . . Now I wish to bond myself to her at a proper time._

Sitedal hummed soothingly in reflection, tapping the floor with the tip of his tail as he thought over the words he had heard. _I see . . . You may do as you wish, my son. _

_Thank you, father. Your words give me guidance in a world in which little makes sense anymore. When the time is right I will announce myself to her and see what she will make of it_, Ladetis growled before he hissed, crouching to the floor as his eyes narrowed to tiny slits. _It can't be! Why would he come? Our bond is broke, thus there is nothing to tie him to me anymore . . ._

Concerned, Sitedal extended his senses, trying to detect whatever his son had picked up on but not picking up anything of interest. Raising his head, he growled softly, motioning for Ladetis to continue to follow him as they were not far from where he wanted them to go as he reasoned Verdra might like to be reunited with her child as much as he had enjoyed the returned connection.

_I sense nothing out of the ordinary, Ladetis. Whatever has spooked you is something I cannot detect but do not let it worry you . . ._

_Worry? _Ladetis scoffed, snorting in disgust. _You don't know what I sense, otherwise you would be trying to kill him right now. The clone is coming this way, I can still feel a lingering trace of our former bond. Inform the hybrid, he will need to know this at once. _


	61. Compromised

**Chapter 61-Compromised**

Pale fingers scraped against tough bark as Tanui struggled to pull himself up, screaming in pain as his entire skull thrummed in agony with every heartbeat. Ever since the prolonged vision he had experienced, his mind had seemed to shatter and each step brought nothing but misery and suffering. Allowing himself to drop from a branch he had grabbed hold of, he fell onto the forest floor, rolling over on his back so he could clutch at his head. He dug his fingernails into his scalp, letting the trickles of blood ooze down his face as he forced himself to sit up. Pressing his back against rigid tree bark, he bit back a scream as his vision swam, prompting him to squeeze his eyes shut and try to block out everything.

The low cackle of his Master pricked at the base of his skull and he snarled, digging further into his flesh as he started shaking, exhaustion tearing away at him the longer he remained conscious. He was afraid of sleeping, for his dreams would be nightmares, but also afraid of being awake, for he could no longer trust his senses or his mind. Despite his strict, yet slipping, control over himself, he had no choice as he began to fade into unconsciousness, his hands falling to the grassy ground as a thick blackness settled over him . . .

* * *

><p>Raoul was joined by Finca as he lingered at the main stairwell for the Compound, fuming over his father's acceptance of Nethial even after everything that had happened between the two of them. Pacing the floor, he grumbled curses under his breath as the familiar mental presence of the dragoness he associated with Tamli touched his thoughts.<p>

_Peace, Raoul. Give them time to see what you see_, Finca cautioned as she lay over in one of the room's many corners, her yellow irises fixated on him as her snout rested on her forelegs.

"Why would I do that? I just know he's going to break her heart again. It's only a matter of time before history repeats itself . . ."

_Not all cases have the events of the past mirror those in the present, child. Your father is wiser than he was back then and will not make the same mistake . . ._

Raoul spun around, glaring at her as Finca realized how her words had sounded to him. "What mistake was that? Are you referring to when they gave life to me during their nightly interactions?"

_No, I was not implying that. What I meant was that he was reckless in his youth and, as a result, paid a dear price for it._

Calming down slightly, he sighed and dropped his gaze, studying the floor under him. "Fine, you have a point. Mother never let me do anything because she was afraid of me turning to Corruption, only to have her embrace it and nearly kill me instead."

Finca snorted in amusement before she raised her head, glancing down towards the stairs that led to the lower levels. Raoul hesitated then followed her gaze to watch as Dhran ascended the steps, cradling a small bundle in his arms.

_Is Aurelia unharmed? _Finca growled softly as Airu stopped, shifting the wrappings to let them see a tiny baby nestled in the white fabric as a single strand of fine black hair crested over the top of its skull.

"She's fine but exhausted so I decided to bring him up here to let you see for yourselves. Finca, Raoul, I present Nathaniel Zura Ricata," Airu announced proudly as his son stirred slightly, blinking open its green eyes for a moment before yawning and going back to sleep.

_Is has been many a moon since the birth of a human child down here. Dhran, you and Aurelia should be proud of this little one and I trust you to raise him well. _A quiet hum filled the air as Finca lifted her head, gently placing the tip of her snout on Nathaniel's forehead. _And you, little Nathaniel, will grow to be a great protector of peace in a time when even the bravest of dragons shall remember the deeds done by your most-blessed parents. _

Having spoken, Finca withdrew her snout and returned to her position, twitching the end of her tail as her gaze flickered to Raoul. She hoped he knew that it was customary for those seeing a child for the first time to present a blessing to it in hopes of shaping its future.

"I wish you luck, Dhran, in raising this bundle of joy. It will be a challenge but I feel, in the short time I've known you, that you are most capable of being a great parent to this infant." Raoul sighed before his attention was directed to the entrance to the Compound, only to find his father entering with something in his arms.

"Dhran, would you prepare the same cell used to house Arxa please? This is of the upmost importance . . ."

Tamli slowed once he realized Dhran was talking with Finca and Raoul, revealing the limp body in his arms to be that of his clone as Nethial trailed silently after him. A questioning growl from his dragon caught him off-guard and he hissed, gripping down on Tanui's arm before he figured out what had happened and relaxed his hand.

_Where did you find Tanui? _Finca asked as she stood up and walked over to him, blocking Dhran from his sight.

_He was just outside of our territory_, Tamli replied softly as he met the fierce gaze of his dragon._ I sensed him before we entered and by the time Nethial and I got there, he was already unconscious. I find it odd that he was heading in our direction . . ._

Tanui snarled in his sleep, raising a hand to cushion his skull as Finca growled, wanting Tamli to more closely examine the words he had just said. She suspected the reasoning of the clone was to make another kill, one close to the hybrid. It made perfect sense to her the more she thought on it yet she glanced at Raoul, nodding her head to instruct him to carry out his father's wishes as she told him what cell was specifically needed.

_We shall restrain him as you wish but I believe you know why he was coming towards our location. There's something you're not telling me, isn't there? What is there to hide, love?_

Walking past her, Tamli refused to answer her question and followed after Raoul towards the holding chamber, keeping silent even as Finca tried to press the issue. Growling in restrained anger, she waited patiently as Nethial came up beside her and Dhran left to return to Aurelia's side with Nathaniel held comfortably in his arms.

_It has been many years, Nethial_, Finca remarked as the former rider glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

"Indeed, Finca, and my heart warms at seeing you still alive. You are correct in your assumption that Tanui was planning on killing another close to Tamli though. I could sense it from his recent actions that he was close to figuring out another target . . ."

_What is it, Nethial? _Finca questioned as the former rider fell silent, glancing away and gripping the hilt of her blade. _Do you know who this target would have been?_

"It's you," Nethial whispered a moment later, avoiding eye contact. "He would go after the ones that were the closest to the hybrid . . . Make Tamli feel his pain . . . I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. I could have stopped him if I knew . . . Tyst and Malie wouldn't be scarred for life then . . ."

* * *

><p>Tamli watched as Raoul strapped down Tanui, attaching the thick black chains that had once held Narssia onto the multiple layers of silver links already wrapped around the clone's body. Surprisingly, the delusional hybrid had not stirred during the process and seemed to be completely still, save for the shallow rise and fall of its chest. Lingering just outside the door, he made sure the clone wasn't going anywhere before calling out to his son to go ahead and start pumping in the same power-reducing chemical that had affected Arxa months before.<p>

Slipping out of the cell before he breathed in any of the weakening agent, Tamli gazed at the identical being held captive in the room as Raoul placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort after locking the massive steel door. They had Tanui suspended by the weight of the massive chains, the smaller links keeping his arms pined to his side as a reddish vapor misted through the jailed area.

"This will work, father," Raoul assured him as Tamli blinked, glancing down at his own hands as a sense of guilt racked him. "From the tests Amia did to me, I know nothing blood-related works to reverse the decay. Each clone is different and every single one of them has a breaking point. We have to find his . . . somehow."

"Treating him like a monster is no different then what Misery did to me," Tamli confessed as he stared through the thick glass in the door to see his copy, barely able to sense its presence but enough to let him know Tanui was still alive. "While I find myself torn over how best to end his life, I feel distanced from him as I watch the consequences of Amia's choices ravish him both physically and mentally. I wonder what thoughts ran through the mind of their creator when he made each one of them . . ."

"Why does it concern you? This is for the best, we both know that. You said it yourself that he's a threat and, now, it's under control."

Tamli chuckled, gently pushing away his son's hand. "Under control? Tanui will kill all of us if given the chance, Raoul. He will stop at nothing to destroy those close to me until I crumble, unless I kill him before he gets that chance. It is only my sense of mercy that is preventing me from walking in there and slaughtering him right now. When we fight, which there will be another conflict between us, I want him to be at his best. Only the strongest is worthy of being known as the first true human-dragon hybrid to exist."

Raoul sighed before walking behind his father, pausing at the entrance to the large corridor where the cells were carefully guarded to look back. "He will get out, father; it's only a matter of time before this nightmare starts again."

Ignoring the comment, Tamli stayed where he was as Raoul left him by himself, his gaze still transfixed on the identical figure behind the glass as a single strand of black hair fell into the clone's face. He knew the words were true but he wanted to hold onto the moment for as long as he could, to protect those he cared about. Tanui wouldn't hesitate to go after Finca now, he knew that for certain as he thought back to their fight on the beach and how brutal the combat had been between them.

"You will regret taking every life you have, clone," Tamli spat as he turned around, unwilling to bring himself to look upon such a similar form any longer. "No harm will come to Finca while I live so don't even think about attacking her . . . not that you can do much right now anyway."

Walking over to the entryway into the much larger walkway that now housed Tanui, Tamli paused for a moment to consider what he had just said. Glancing back at the grey steel that protected the dragons of the Compound from their worst nightmare, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, feeling drained from all that had happened during the day.

"We start at dawn trying to break you. I hope you make this interesting, otherwise it will be a wasted effort on my part. It's been a long time since I gave myself permission to enter without restraint into someone's mind so you might want to ready yourself for a day of misery. Amia's torture won't compare to the agony I shall put you through, now will it?"

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, Tamli had returned to standing before the cell holding Tanui, a plan slowly forming in his mind on how best to torture the clone for all the damage it had done. He was surprised when Finca came up beside him, having not sensed her presence until she softly growled, fixing a single iris on him. Letting his gaze drop to the floor, he gathered his hands in front of him, unwilling to talking to her about what he wanted to do to the delusional hybrid.<p>

_I am not here to argue with you, Tamli_, Finca admitted as the silence between them became uncomfortable._ Raoul told me what happened once he left you and I kept my silence during the night, mediating on how best to take the information. You feel so strongly about this that I can do nothing but leave the decision in your hands, love. Amia broke the laws of nature when he created the clones and I trust you to correct the imbalance by whatever means necessary._

Tamli took a step back, surprised at the response he had gotten from his own dragon. He had expected Finca to be mad but her encouragement of him warmed his heart. Patting her shoulder, he gave her a soft smile before focusing on the task at hand as his attention returned to the figure hanging limply inside the steel-clad room.

_Thank you_, he whispered as he heard Raoul's footsteps from down the corridor heading towards them. _I won't kill him right now but I want information. Nethial told me all she knew about the clones when we talked yet I want to hear from him directly about his decline, if he will speak to me._

_I have no doubt in your abilities_, Finca hummed as she turned to walk away, _but be careful in how you approach him. Tanui isn't stable and will find a reason to go after you if he feels escape is possible. _

Tamli hesitated for a minute, glancing at the thick glass that separated him from the copy. _Does it remind you of Szara? _He asked as he turned his head to see her from the corner of his eye.

_Yes, unfortunately. Being a prisoner of your own mind isn't something I would wish on anyone . . . yet there is one that deserves to make peace with its past actions. _

"I assume you're referring to Arxa, correct?" Raoul questioned as he entered, wearing a light grey robe that fitted over his shoulders and covered up the rest of his outfit, although Tamli could see something he had on was black. "Having no knowledge of her prior existence, I cannot speak on what is right or wrong . . . yet each individual should be allowed to accept their flaws and learn from their mistakes."

Nodding to Finca to take her leave, Tamli waited until she had left before he turned to face his son. Raoul quickly shed his cloak to reveal a grey tunic and black pants, an empty sheath hanging from his waist. Raising an eyebrow at the notion of his own child carrying a weapon, Tamli reached for his own only to remember it was still broke as his fingers met open air where the hilt usually was located.

"Ready to start?" Tamli asked as Raoul walked up to him, placing a hand on his arm as he noticed his son seemed distracted by something.

"How are we going to wake him up without being affected by the power-reducing substance as well?"

A quiet chuckle rose from Tamli's throat before he replied, "Let me handle that much. I am worried the restraints won't hold very well for what I have in mind though . . ."

"You want him to use electricity? That would short-circuit his metal leg, not to mention what all the metal wrapped around his body would do . . ."

"Exactly, my son," Tamli commented as he glanced at the limp body hanging inside the steel cell. "I want him to _feel _true aguish and beg for mercy. He has killed so many innocents that I cannot attempt to seek vengeance for all of them but I shall try . . ."

Taking a step back, Tamli closed his eyes and carefully extended his consciousness towards Tanui. He gently prodded at the hybrid's mind, being cautious not to go too deep into the insane clone's thoughts as he stirred it from sleep. A defiant snarl echoed from within the cell and he smiled, blinking open his eyes as the faintest flicker of lightning danced over the copy's hands. Seconds later, a low, painful growl rippled from Tanui and Tamli realized the electricity had stopped far sooner than he had expected.

"He wants to protect his leg," Raoul suggested as they exchanged glances before Tamli's focus returned to his clone as Tanui stared intently at him through dimmed irises. "It didn't take him long to figure out that it would just come back onto him if he tried to use lightning. Despite that madness dulling him, the clone is pretty smart, father."

"I'm aware of that," Tamli snapped back immediately before realizing the harshness of his tone. "Sorry, Raoul. This is a passionate subject for me, namely because of who Tanui has killed during the last few days."

"Your dragonic firstborn, I understand."

Pushing aside the thoughts that crept into his mind at the mention of Rados, Tamli turned to prodding at Tanui's mind again. Of the memories he did find, most were fractured and broken in places, leading to him questioning just how much sanity the clone had anymore. He wondered how Ladetis had dealt with the mental connection to a man so deep into psychosis but then he realized this was the price the copies had paid for their unlawful creation. Their very existence was unnatural and this decay was nature's way of slowly destroying each one of them.

_You think this will hold me? _

Hearing his own mental voice so closely reflected in the hybrid's tone concerned him and Tamli found that Tanui's attention was, again, fixated solely on him. Sighing, he asked Raoul to cut off the power-repressing solution so he could confront the clone face-to-face. Although he sensed his son's unease at doing what he wanted, the air soon cleared within the cell and Tamli unlocked the steel door, walking inside as he let it slam shut behind him.

"You couldn't resist insulting me to my face, could you?" Tanui whispered as Tamli unbuckled his empty sheath and let it fall to the floor, wanting to show the clone that he was not going to kill it and only wished to talk.

"Why did you choose Rados?"

A sudden laugh from Tanui startled Tamli and his hand rose, a stream of his aura rising up to fit inside his palm. "Misery." The clone paused, giving Tamli enough time to approach and stop right before the delusional hybrid as he was confident the chains would last as long as they simply talked. "Those that are unfamiliar with cloning call it barbaric and perhaps, rightfully, it is . . ."

"Amia knew the ancient laws, understood that creating an unnatural being was punishable by the highest order, yet he acted solely for his own benefit. Nethial told me all she knew concerning the clones . . . yet I see now there is little reasoning to be had between us." Tamli turned around, collecting his hands in front of him.

"Little reasoning? You think this is my choice? I never wanted to be created! Master didn't care if we lived or died, he just wanted a perfect replica of the hybrid who had done him so much damage over the years to fulfill his revenge."

Whirling back around, Tamli lifted a hand in anger and listened as Tanui hissed out the last few words of his attempt at being pitiful. Mentally choking the hybrid, he watched as it struggled against his powerful grip and lightning flickered along pale fingers in protest. Taking a step back out of precaution, he lightly chuckled as the clone's body grew rigid and its weak murmuring turned to frantic attempts at screaming.

"Nothing you do will matter. There is no escape from this place, not while I'm in charge. You would have been better off wandering the forest then to find yourself at my mercy . . ."

Tanui narrowed his eyes, lightning crackling along his arms before a stray jolt escaped and hit the ground right next to Tamli. Furious at the obvious resentment of his control, the hybrid responded with an instinctual surge of aura that shook the chains wrapped around the delusional clone as it collapsed into unconsciousness from a combination of recent events. Still angry at the defiance he had been shown, Tamli failed to hear the door to the cell being opened until Raoul gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let it go, father. I will ensure the necessary precautions are made to confirm that he will not escape from this imprisonment. Unless the end of the world is upon us, the delusional clone won't get out, I promise you that." Raoul waited a few seconds before gently grasping his father's arm. "We can try again in a few hours to get information from him but until then, you need to get your mind off of all of this."

Allowing himself to be lead out by his son, Tamli ignored the faint whispers in the back of his mind that wondered whether he would have the courage needed to punish the clone for all the wrong it had done. Violence never solved anything but, instead, only made the problem worse, especially with how frail the copied hybrid was concerning the amount of psychosis he had witnessed during their fight. He briefly thought about how Ladetis must have felt prior to the separation but quickly cast the thoughts aside as Raoul guided him up the stairs and as far away from the cell as possible to put his mind at ease.


	62. Revelation

**Chapter 62-Revelation**

For the past month, Narssia had sensed a strange unease in Arxa, a sensation she had not expected to arise within the dark presence that had taken over her body. As more time passed, she found herself drifting, barely able to form coherent thoughts and knew that Corruption had been silent to her for nearly the same amount of time. Whatever the reasoning was, Narssia figured her eventual betrayal would clarify her thoughts on the mutual lack of communication between them, something that pleased her to think about when she could gather the energy to even remind herself that the malice won't control her forever.

Narssia listened as Arxa informed Jormundur of her intent to leave for a time and put him in charge over the clones, realizing she was paranoid over a rebellion like Gregal had tried to start even with such a firm grip on every clone's life. Although she silently disproved of letting the greyling take charge over the hybrids, she understood the apparent reasoning as they left the cave, the sensation of flying again bringing a calm to her scattered thoughts. Vanz had loved flying with her, even though their time spent together had been limited up until right before his death from the born-again Protector Meta who had killed both him and Mirage in cold blood to, unfortunately, bring about the rise of Corruption's magic once more.

**I hope I'm not interrupting your peaceful thoughts**, Arxa growled as the sudden connection startled Narssia.

**_Why would you think that? _**Narssia snapped back, snarling under her breath as the rekindled interaction reminded her of how brutally she had treated Jormundur during their visit to the past.

Arxa snorted, flapping her wings as she settled into a low wind current that took her towards the string of mountains that bordered the northern territories. **I know you've been sulking and it's not good for you, is it? The apparent difficulty sometimes to even remember your own name . . .**

A snarl rose from Narssia's throat before she could stop herself. **_Liar! My thoughts are as clear as when I was back in the past . . . _**She paused for a brief moment, deciding how best to approach the subject with the dark essence that had settled inside of her. **_You've seemed distracted as of late, though. I can sense that something is bothering you, isn't it?_**

Nearly three minutes passed before Arxa softly answered, **I believe your reconciliation with your former rider was more physical then mental. You may laugh at this but I feel a protectiveness I have never felt before over this body . . . and I believe I know the cause-**

**_Pregnancy_**, Narssia commented, cutting off the dark spirit as the thought came to her over what she had done with Windra once he confirmed it was the human she had once known now in a dragonic form. **_Why wait this long to tell someone?_**

**Jormundur wouldn't have believed me and I hid it well from even myself until this morning when horrible pain racked me. Based upon previous dragons I have encountered, the sensation I felt meant the eggs would soon be ready and I knew better then to lay them in the cave . . .**

**_For once my wisdom is greater than yours, is it not? _**Narssia snorted in amusement as Arxa dove into a shallow dive, soon landing on a small plateau.

The flat land was barren, red rock that gave little comfort as Arxa laid down, closing her eyes as a brief tremor shook her body. Narssia felt a brief sense of pity for the dark spirit but ignored it and turned her focus instead to sensing the consciousness of the new dragonets within her own body. It wasn't long before she noticed two tiny sparks of life's essence encased within separate eggshells and it soothed her to note that each dragon embryo seemed perfectly healthy.

**_Two eggs shall be delivered upon this dry land_**, Narssia hummed softly as another twinge of pain rippled through Arxa.

**Why does it hurt so much? **Arxa hissed through clenched teeth to keep from roaring in aguish as her talons scraped against the muted crimson shale under her.

**_Your- Our body is fighting it, malicious spirit. I suspect the prolonged exposure to Corruption has lowered your pain tolerance and so you feel the agony as I did when I laid the eggs that would become Jormundur and Sitedal . . ._**

Arxa snarled in reply, flaring her wings in protest as another tremor of pain racked their joined consciousness. Ignoring the defiance of the one she was trying to help, Narssia listened to the steady heartbeats of the two young as each egg was laid within several hours. By the end of the ordeal, she knew Arxa was weakened by the strain and vulnerable but her attention remained solely on the dragonets as she examined the eggshells out of curiosity. The first her gaze fell upon was a grey egg with small veins of yellow crossing over it while the second was pitch-dark with a greenish tint in various places.

**Can you tell the gender? **Arxa panted, opening her eyes to look over the eggs herself as Narssia hummed softly.

**_It's too soon but, from how the eggs look, my guess would be male and female. _**A low growl rose from her throat as Narssia paused, feeling the exhaustion of her darker half. **_Jormundur is likely to start the war sooner than you wanted . . . you know that._**

**I do**, Arxa confirmed with a soft hiss as she pulled the eggs close to her side with a wing, curling around the offspring of her host.

**_Why leave him in charge then? The clones are far from ready . . ._**

Arxa sighed, lowering her head down onto her front taloned feet.** **As odd as it may seem, Narssia, I want this to be over. Amia created an imbalance when he made the clones and I cannot hope to fix the disruption of the natural order by myself. I need as many copies to die as possible against the Compound's forces . . . yet Tanui will be a different case indeed due to his unique situation . . .****

* * *

><p>Verdra had heard of the newcomers among them but had not gotten the chance to see how the offspring of her deceased brother were doing until she found herself walking down to check on them as Ladetis coming back had brought fresh perspective into the events surrounding his disappearance. She knew her mate could speak for hours on the cloning process and decided to leave the subject of the mad hybrid alone as she felt it was best for Sitedal and their son to speak in private over the traumatic events. Having been raised upon the land by herself, she was not familiar with the disturbing subject as well as those that had lived through seeing the horrible outcomes and quickly put the thought from her mind as she rounded a corner to come face-to-face with a middle-aged woman whose entire legs consisted of metal.<p>

Retreating a step, Verdra studied the human before her as her sudden appearance had not startled the woman as she had expected. Deep lines carved into the female's face as violet eyes that seemed half-closed were bordered by thin strands of newly growing black hair. Arms ridden with muscles crossed over a thin chest as the dragoness caught a glance of a bandage around the individual's neck. Her eyes were eventually drawn to a small pendant hanging around the woman's collarbone, the engraved symbol being two triangles connecting in the center as the top one was flipped over and met the much larger bottom one to form a design that Verdra was unfamiliar with upon viewing it.

_Forgive me, human, I did not mean to intrude upon your personal space_, Verdra addressed as she lowered her head in respect, noticing a second later the sheath that hung at the woman's waist as the ankle-length black cloak she wore had prevented her from seeing it beforehand.

"It is of no issue, Verdra," the female responded as she lightly dusted off her grey tunic, chuckling when Verdra raised her head back up and hissed softly at the mention of her name by unfamiliar lips. "We share a mutual friend and he has told me much about you."

_Are you Nethial? _Verdra asked as she realized her father had spoken at length with Nethial after the two offspring of her deceased brother had come in to be examined.

"You would be correct," Nethial answered as she lowered her arms to her side, meeting Verdra's gaze and holding it until the dragoness looked away. "I know that Tanui is held within these walls down below." She laughed softly, gripping the pummel of her hilt. "Your father certainly is brave to risk so much with keeping the clone here."

_Yes, but I suspect you know more than I do on that subject. You were his love when he was young and you are Raoul's mother . . ._

"What are you getting at? Tanui had feelings for me only because of the memories he had from Tamli, nothing more. While I encouraged this, I realize now it was a mistake," Nethial admitted as she crossed her arms over her chest once more.

_I did not mean to intrude upon your personal life, fallen one. Having the clone here places a stress on every individual within these darkened halls, you know this to be true from your own experience with him. _

Nodding her head in agreement, Nethial glanced past Verdra for a brief second before her attention returned to the black dragoness. "I would go to see him but I fear Tamli wouldn't approve of it given our risky reunion. My own son even turned against me but I can't blame him after what I've done."

_Finca hasn't told me much but I'm guessing you denounced the Order you were raised in and turned to Corruption._

Turning her head away, Nethial pressed her arms tighter against her chest as her chin lowered to rest on her collarbone. "You're right," she whispered, closing her eyes as Verdra sensed a lingering sadness rise into the woman's tone. "The darkness seemed so tempting and I was weak to embrace it."

_Even the strongest dragons fall from grace_, Verdra hummed as she took a step forward and placed the tip of her snout on one of Nethial's arms in comfort. _My own mate is one of Arxa's sons. Talk with him if you want to. _

Brushing the gesture away, Nethial lowered her arms back to her side before she muttered, "Forgive me, Verdra, but I can't burden him right now. I . . . I have other things I must attend to."

Nethial walked past Verdra a moment later, her head down and her eyes dim as the dragoness turned to watch her go down the hallway that would lead to the cell block where Tanui was being kept. Informing her father should have been her first priority but Verdra ignored her instinctual urge and, instead, chose to follow after the former rider only to see if what Nethial said was the truth. After only taking a few steps, the dragoness stopped and lowered her head, realizing that her behavior was exactly what Tamli would have done. She had sensed the unease and uncertainty within the woman while they talked but there seemed nothing to be concerned over. It was probably just nervousness over Tanui's imprisonment, she reasoned as she shook her head, deciding to continue with her idea to visit Malie and Tyst.

* * *

><p>Jormundur had been most surprised when Arxa had left him in charge and then flown off as the behavior was most unusual for the dark dragoness. He wasn't very concerned until several hours had passed and she had not returned. Calling for one of the clones, he paced the entrance to the cave, running a list of possible reasons through his mind as he waited for the dysfunctional hybrid to show up. Hunting never took her long and she usually didn't leave him in charge when she went to get food, but she had been rather quiet as of recent.<p>

"Yes, Great One?" The clone asked as it entered from a narrow side-passage, brushing back a strand of its white hair out of its face.

_Gather the others_, Jormundur requested as he realized the reason for her disappearance. _We strike those that would defy us at dawn. _


	63. Trial by Fire

**AN: With this chapter there will be two changes: First, any telepathic communication will have quotes around it due to a suggestion by a loyal reader; Second, the story's rating will go up to Teen because of a scene that happens in this chapter that deals with the death of a beloved character.**

**Chapter 63-Trial by Fire**

The palest rays of sunlight broke through the bleak darkness as the hybrid clone army left the confines of Arxa's cavern and took to the sky, their forces nearly reaching two hundred and forty as they made haste to the central location of the Compound. Leading the advance, Jormundur made certain to tap into the dark powers of Corruption to keep the copies focused on their task as most were not in the best physical or mental condition. Even though he knew it was a drawback to their own creation by the fallen rider Amia Nekita, the greyling still uttered a snarl of disgust as several dropped from the formation and headed towards the ground, landing miles before they reached their target. Curving a powerful gust of wind behind him as a warning, Jormundur slowed to a halt, glancing back behind him briefly to see that many had left the air and were now on the ground in their human forme.

"_Those that choose not to fight stay here, otherwise you come with me to your demise for the betterment of the dragon race_," he snapped harshly before resuming the advance towards the Compound, not caring how many clones would be behind him when he arrived to complete the task the dark magic of Corruption wanted.

* * *

><p>Uria was among the first to sense the approaching darkness that threatened to destroy them and immediately summoned Tamli to the chamber he had once shared with Makiar before she died. The old dragon was concerned when the hybrid entered in human forme, wiping blood from his hands as he walked into the darkened room. A single straw cot nestled against the western wall but the remaining space was empty as Uria gently lit a fire onto the floor itself to help give the human some light to see its way.<p>

"_Much has happened since the revelation of the clones, has it not?_" Uria asked as he curled around the blazing wood, carefully keeping a check on how far the flames spread as Tamli sat down before him.

"Yes, Uria, there has been much learned. To think that Amia would stoop so low to make hundreds of copies of my very being is, at the most, terribly disturbing. Seeing my own face reflected back at me with such hate fills with horrible dread." Tamli paused, collecting his hands in his lap as he stared into the fire between them. "I've sensed it as well that the dark forces of Corruption are on the move. I fear the war Tanui spoke of when he first came here is about to occur and it will bring great suffering and pain."

"_You know what you must do, Tamli_," Uria instructed, fixing a single iris on the hybrid as Tamli bowed his head.

"I know but I'm worried Tanui could escape at any given point. Even the most sensible individuals become panicked during times of conflict and there are many that would like to see me suffer. It's Finca I worry the most over though . . . I've seen from visions that Tanui wouldn't hesitate to end her life in front of me."

"_Think of the greater good. If Makiar were still alive, how would she approach this?_"

Tamli remained silent for some time and Uria knew the hybrid was weighing the odds of his choice. There was such a love for Finca but there was also a deep fear that he could lose her and the old dragon understood that as he had felt much the same before Makiar's death. With a sigh, the hybrid got to his feet and glanced at his empty sheath before turning around to leave.

"Despite my own feelings on the matter, I must do what it right for our race to survive. Gather all those you can find and get them to meet me at the entrance to the outside. In the meantime, I will speak with my son on how best to restrain Tanui until the danger has passed."

"_Good. We must be united if we are to defend the light from Corruption's darkest shadows_," Uria hummed softly as Tamli left, extinguishing the low flames with a single swipe of his tail as he stood to go carry out the task the hybrid had for him.

* * *

><p>Cobwebs hung in the dark corners as the metallic chains chafed at his skin, the painful sensation the only thing keeping him awake as time seemed to have no beginning or end in the small confounds he had been placed within. Head drooping, Tanui wearily blinked as he caught the distant sound of dragons moving along the upper floors, a sense of urgency to the claw-clicks of their taloned feet. Whatever was happening had nothing to do with him, he surmised as his gaze fell to the steel floor under him and he saw the shadow of four different chains locked onto the small silver links that were wrapped tightly around his body, their very position fixed to keep him off the ground and held in mid-air.<p>

He remembered arguing with the inferior one and then the pain that stormed through his entire body once he tried to use electricity. From that experience and from the aural blast he had received later as punishment from Tamli, he knew why the chains were fixed as they were so that every attempt he tried to make to defend himself would only come back onto his weakened body. Closing his eyes, Tanui tried to succumb back to the peaceful sleep he had enjoyed while unconscious but the sudden sound of footsteps coming in his direction broke his concentration.

From outside the dust-covered glass that served as a small opening into the world beyond his four-walled prison, he sensed a familiar presence as the footsteps became clearly audible. Lifting his head slightly, Tanui scoffed at the idea of someone coming to visit him when the upper floors still sounded full of frenzied activity.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you returned to continue my punishment. What will you try this time, Tamli?" Tanui sneered as the footsteps came to a stop at the entrance to the cell block, the staircase just behind the familiarness he detected, although the exact identity of the individual was muddled and uncertain due to that red mist having dulled his senses.

"I never said I was Tamli," Nethial answered as Tanui forced his eyes open, only to hiss and close them again as a sudden burst of pain rippled through his skull from the back of his head. "That being established, I can leave if it proves too much for you to handle."

Fighting his way through the pain, Tanui clenched his teeth as he willed himself to look upon her despite whatever agony flowed through him. Even with the dirty glass, he could see she had changed outfits to a more outcast appearance with a dark grey robe over her black tunic and pants. The blade and sheath he had made for her hung at her right hip and, as he dimly stared at her, she shifted something she had draped over her left arm.

"Why are you here?" He rasped as he let his head hang freely, trying to remove some of the pressure from his tense neck and back. "What's going on? I sense so much movement above us . . ."

"Corruption's forces are attacking as we speak. I don't have much time but I . . . I can't bare to see you like this," Nethial addressed as she walked over and unlocked the door, slipping inside and walking up to him to place a hand on his metal leg.

Still disoriented from all that had happened, Tanui blankly stared at her as she glanced at the chains holding him above the ground. Removing her hand from his leg, Nethial gave the thick black links closest to her a pull, only to result in a scream from Tanui as the movement jostled him and pulled at wounds that had formed from the electrical surges he had tried to send at the inferior hybrid.

"What has Tamli done to you?" Nethial muttered quietly as Tanui blinked, feeling detached from his own consciousness.

"Not just him . . ."

Nethial took a step back, glancing over the entire structure as Tanui numbly ran his thumb over cracked, bleeding skin on his fingers. His tendency to use electricity had been something that had gotten him into the mess he now found himself in. Eyes glassy, he gasped as he heard the sound of metal being unsheathed, trembling as he thought the inferior one had come to end him as he had killed Rados. Instantly realizing her mistake, it took Nethial several minutes to calm him down once she realized that drawing her blade had thrown him into a panic.

"I'm going to break the chains, Tanui. That's all I'm doing," she whispered reassuringly as she lightly ran a hand over his own in comfort, his eyes going to her as the quivering faded slowly.

Quickly shattering the links that kept Tanui raised above the ground, Nethial knew the longer she had her weapon drawn the worse it would be for the clone. Once he was on the ground and the thicker chains had been broken, she unwrapped the small silver ones from around him, noticing the cracked skin and burns that signaled how much damage Tamli had caused him during the imprisonment. Throughout the procedure, Tanui lay there with his eyes half-closed as dozens of tiny half-healed lacerations on his face began to bleed. Shaking in fear as the voices returned in full volume to plague him without end, he realized the truth that he had become what so many other clones had started out being in his Master's eyes. A failure was simply a imperfect copy that had to be destroyed and he was no different now after all he had been through.

"Tamli won't be happy you're free but we need every individual to fight," Nethial commented as she gently pulled him up into a sitting position and took his hands in her own, forcing Tanui to focus on her as best he could. "You need to run, Tanui. Flee while the battle is going on and while Tamli is distracted. Go back to Tel-var or find someplace no one will find you."

Tanui closed his eyes, letting a small current of electricity run across his arm and into Nethial. She couldn't see what he so clearly saw in himself. Running was no option, not anymore. Tamli had been true to his promise and had destroyed the last bits of who he had once been back before the decay had truly taken hold. The clone that he was could no longer hide behind that false truth of superiority and had to admit now that he was the inferior being.

Pulling him to his feet, Nethial revealed that she had carried in a large black cloak as she put it around Tanui, leaving the hood down for a moment as she placed a hand on his cheek. The soft fabric brushed against the many wounds on his body but Tanui ignored the pain as Nethial's touch brought him back to the memory of their love-making in Tel-var. What he had on was mostly shredded anyway but the outer robe covered all of the tattered cloth and scarred skin like a mask, something he clung to even as the warmth of her flesh reminded him of how horribly he had treated her. Deciding to take the action one step further, Nethial leaned in and kissed him, trying to be as gentle as she could while showing him that she meant no harm.

Recoiling at the contact, Tanui gently pushed her back as he opened his eyes to find himself lost in the grey expanse of her irises . Still quivering, he looked away as he cupped her hand within his own, giving it a light squeeze before dropping the interaction completely and stepping towards the open cell door. Pausing at the entrance, he shakily raised the hood and cast one last glance at Nethial before leaving, his gait hurried but unsteady.

Walking up the stairs, Tanui did follow Nethial's instructions at first until he bumped into Raoul by accident as he was unfamiliar with the hallway that met him above his cell. Realizing who he had come into contact with, the hybrid grabbed him and threw him against a wall, letting the wraith's presence be known as the cracking of his face grew distorted and erratic. Many dragons going the same way stopped and watched as Raoul got up and dusted off his robe before lunging at the clone. Dodging the hit, Tanui spun around, thrusting his elbow into the face of the inferior one's son and was rewarded with a sharp crack as Raoul collapsed to the floor, hands going to the bridge of his nose. Panting from the effort, Tanui crouched as he stared down his foe, only to be roused by a commotion from within the gathered crowd.

"_Nethial set you free, weakling_."

The hiss alone nearly drove him to his knees but Tanui held himself together as best he could, rising to a standing position as his limbs shook terribly. Finca had been among those walking and now she knew he was free which meant there was only a matter of time before Tamli knew and killed him. Shuddering at the thought, Tanui took off in a full run down the hallway, fear overtaking reason as he heard the dragoness come after him.

Sliding into a narrow side-path, Tanui was surprised to come out into a small field of flowers and slowed to a gradual walk as he examined the scene before him. It reminded him so clearly of his early training with Amia in locations as similar as what he now found himself in that he stopped in the dead center of the field and closed his eyes, imagining things as they had once been during his time of promise. The growl of a dragon broke him from his peaceful thoughts, however, and he turned around to see Finca had caught up with him.

"_I should have seen Nethial's betrayal coming but it is no matter. Tamli will be pleased to find your head ripped clear from your body when I get through with you_," Finca hissed as she advanced, sinking low to the ground as Tanui backed up, frantically searching the area around him for a weapon he could use to defend himself.

A blast of Shadowfire erupted from Finca's jaws suddenly and Tanui threw himself to the ground, wanting to curl up into a ball as the torture he had received continued to echo through his mind the more he stared at the dragoness. Rolling onto his back, he freely let the wraith control his actions as he retreated deep inside himself, knowing that Amia had placed full confidence in the dark essence to let it go into his most valued asset.

* * *

><p>Finca was uncertain at first whether to press the attack once the clone grew still but soon realized there was something unsettling as cracking lines of black stretched across the hybrid's face and his eyes turned completely black except for the very center which retained the bright crimson red of the copy's iris. Retreating a step, Finca recalled what Makiar had taught her years ago on the subject of wraiths and spirits and how they often twisted the host's persona or even body to fit how they had once existed. It was possible that there was a powerful essence within Tanui and that, from what she had seen, he had simply let it take over to fight for him.<p>

Shaking off her hesitation, she charged in for another attack, only to find herself thrown off course by a powerful telekinetic shove as the clone got back up, the hood now having fallen off to reveal the true extent of the dark spirit's cracking of the hybrid's face and neck. Numerous over-arching lines of black scored deep grooves into the pale skin and Finca suspected that the presence controlling its broken host had once been a dragon due to the manner of the veining.

Hissing, the clone went on the attack, running in and grabbing hold of her tail as Finca used the opportunity to throw herself into the air and spin him around, flinging him off and leaving him even more bruised and battered. Cutting his forehead on a sharp rock, Tanui briefly rose from his isolation to touch the warm blood and recoiled from it, crawling backwards as he forced himself onto his hands and knees . . .

**Tamli was alone this time with nothing but a carved dagger with a jeweled handle that gleamed impressively in the dim light that managed to reach the small cell. Held with his hands above his head for this particular torture session, Tanui had no way of escape as the hybrid entered and walked around him like a predator stalking its prey. **

**"To even begin to make you suffer for the lives you've taken, I think we'll start with a sample of your pale flesh," Tamli remarked as he dragged a finger against Tanui's left jawbone as he passed.**

**Moving around behind the clone, Tamli paused at the hybrid's left shoulder blade and began to carve into the flesh, leaving crude lines that reflected the veining he had seen. Working his way over near the spinal cord, Tamli made certain to avoid directly cutting through something that would leave the copy unable to move and instead increased the ferocity of his strikes. Unable to contain himself, Tanui screamed as each cut felt as if it could be his last . . .**

When he came back to reality, or as close to reality as he could figure it had to be, Finca had him pinned on his back, her jaws inches above his face as she stared him down. Letting instinct take over, he sent a stream of lightning down along her body only to scream in pain as her foreclaws dug into his shoulders. Realizing his defensive act could have cost him his metal leg, Tanui allowed the wraith to resume control and watched as Finca was thrown off his body with a powerful telekinetic shove that the she-dragon somehow managed to use to her advantage as she landed on her feet only inches away.

Limping backwards, Finca growled as Tanui got back onto his feet, sinking into a defensive crouch as an inhuman snarl rose from his throat. Snarling, she lashed out with another burst of Shadowfire before charging in and ramming him with her horns. The hot smoke that collided with his skin left it charred and blackened but Tanui ignored the pain as he jumped to avoid the sharp ivory horns coming for him. Lashing out with a kick, he heard the sound of bones cracking as he rolled to the ground, landing on his back as the she-dragon hissed in fury and retreated slightly to bide time until the next strike.

Digging a hand into the dirt under him, Tanui rolled over onto his knees as he formed the staff he had seen in the vision out of the earth itself. His unnatural ability to influence the objects he touched turned the dirt into solid wood and left patches of moss clinging to the cracked surface as he lifted up the four-and-a-half foot long weapon. Finca snarled in disgust as he looked up to see a long cut across her snout, the wound dripping blood as he suspected he had broken a bone or two.

"_You chose to make a weapon from wood? The decay must have consumed you now, otherwise you would know what happens to weak materials when met by the fiercest flames_," Finca screeched as she took to the air, diving at him as Tanui leapt away from the strike but was knocked to the ground by her tail.

Recovering from the hit, Tanui snarled as the wraith urged him to strike back with a blast of lightning. Gripping tightly to his new staff with his left hand, the clone did the exact opposite and sent a powerful telekinetic shove at her wings, hoping to break the bones so she couldn't fly. However quickly Finca tried to dodge his attacks, Tanui kept up the assault until he saw her spin downward and heard the sound of cracking cartilage.

With the dragoness now unable to use the air to her advantage, Tanui approached as she landed and tried to put distance between them. When Finca breathed out another stream of Shadowfire, he threw the blast off to the side and continued to advance, reaching out with his free hand as he forced her throat to constrict. Even with no metal to slice her apart as he wanted, Tanui realized he could use the staff's edges to accomplish the same thing if he strengthened them with his own energy.

Breaking free of the wraith's control for a moment, Tanui came to a stop as the realization of what he was about to achieve nearly broke the fragile persona he had left. Killing Finca would set Tamli's full anger on him and lead to a fight he was not prepared for, despite the conflict going on with Corruption's forces. Hesitation caused him to shift his weapon into his right hand and he closed his eyes, loosening the telekinetic hold he had on her throat enough for her to snarl at him.

"_Kill me already_," she shrieked as he came to his senses and charged straight at her. "_My death will only bring about your own and then Tamli will finally be able to free himself of the dreadful influence Amia has left on him._"

Gripping the staff with both hands, he plunged the end of it into her, hearing her hiss as blood poured from the wound once he withdrew the reinforced wood. Slashing at her chest and neck in a frenzy, he allowed his anger at Tamli for the torture he had received to give his strikes meaning and purpose as Finca tried to fight back and clamped her jaws around one of his arms. Screaming, he dropped his weapon and raised his other hand to her snout, fingertips crackling with electricity as she slowly increased the pressure of her hold before he sent a current of lightning at her. Jerking her head back, his arm partially ripped and Tanui thrust his entire staff into her neck through telekinesis.

A low gurgle rose from within Finca as Tanui felt her jaws relax and her eyes slowly began to glass over. He cracked open her maw with his free hand and slowly withdrew his right arm, seeing the large amount of blood collected within her mouth and still oozing from his mangled skin as she had gotten him about midway above his elbow. Distancing himself from the wounded appendage, he pulled his weapon free from where it was still embedded in the dragoness and watched as she collapsed to the ground. Weakly snarling at him, she soon grew still and he felt her presence fade completely as the grass around her neck turned crimson from the amount of blood pouring from the lethal injury.

Retreating, Tanui hissed as he cradled his nearly destroyed arm, noticing that only a tiny portion of his flesh and muscle was still intact from the bite Finca had delivered. He knew it was only a matter of minutes before Tamli found out and came after him which gave him little time to consider how he would fix his arm so he could use it. In its current state, the appendage was useless to him and would only slow him down as he couldn't even let it hang by itself due to the severity of damage.

The sudden sound of flapping wings caught him off-guard and he spun around to see hundreds of dragons taking flight as thick, dark grey clouds began to roll in from the north. Corruption's forces had indeed arrived, he mused as he forced the wraith's essence to temporarily subdue itself until he needed to draw upon its power once more. It was beautiful to see so many different colors clash into each other as he stumbled forward to get a better look, loosely holding his staff in his uninjured hand as he continued to cushion his right arm.

He was unsure of what to do with his arm as even trying to look at it nearly made him sick from the sheer amount of blood coating his ghostly pale flesh. Finally ripping off a large piece of what remained from his tunic, he wrapped the wound as best he could and hoped he could fight through the pain if it came to encountering the irrate hybrid whose mate he had just killed. Moving his arm even slightly sent a wave of agony washing over him and he snarled under his breath as the back of his skull throbbed dully. The usage of telekinesis he had displayed during the fight with Finca had brought back the bursts of pain from within his damaged mind, he realized as he squeezed his eyes shut, cringing as the world around him seemed to spin.

"Monster." The deep-throated snarl from behind him signaled that he had underestimated how quickly Tamli could find him after killing Finca and he sighed, gripping his staff with both hands as he collected his thoughts and turned around, reopening his eyes even as pain pricked at the base of his skull in protest.

Seeing the inferior hybrid with its blade having been reconstructed and now pointed directly at him made Tanui uneasy as he tightened his hold on his weapon. Like himself, Tamli had on a thick black cloak but wore a dark grey tunic and black pants as he retreated a step, experimentally moving his right arm only to hiss in pain. He would have to draw upon the wraith's essence to ward off the discomfort it seemed but he put the thought from his mind as Tamli lunged for him and he lifted his staff to block the move . . .


	64. Shadow Bond

**Chapter 64-Shadow Bond**

Sitedal had felt the sudden loss of one of their kind when Finca was killed but paid it no attention as Tamli suddenly left them to leave him to continue the advance on his own. Leading the forces the Compound could spare, he immediately set his sights on his brother as the two armies clashed and he left the hybrids to the scale-fliers he had brought into battle. Taking flight after Jormundur as the clouds above rumbled ominously, he followed the dragon to a shallow riverbed several feet away from the main conflict. Large pine trees bordered the gravel shoreline as the crystal clear water reflected the image above it as both siblings stopped over the area.

"_Brother, I should have known you'd be second-in-charge of the clones after Arxa. Tell me, where is the feared dragoness? Did you kill her to avenge the death of the peaceful beast we knew as our mother?_" Sitedal questioned as Jormundur turned around to face him directly, the dragon's muscular increase in size no doubt due to Corruption's influence as he sensed a primal darkness lingering beneath the surface of the grey dragon.

"_As much as I would like to take the credit for the death of the parasite, she is still alive. She left rapidly and put me in charge, which lead to my attack on your pitiful allies_," Jormundur scoffed, glaring at his sibling as Sitedal noticed a faint trace of red clouding his brother's yellow irises. "_It shames me to think you've gone so low as to partner with the very beings that wish for Corruption's destruction. They fail to realize the potential the dark energy gives us, brother._"

Snorting in disgust, Sitedal shook his head as the realization of how deep into the darkness Jormundur had descended into reached him. He was doing what was right by turning his back on the power Corruption offered and he hoped his brother could see that before it was too late. The darkness might have been promising peace but there was nothing it could offer that would equal the calmness Sitedal had found with Verdra and their offspring.

A sudden compressed ball of air knocked the wind from his lungs and Sitedal coughed, finding that Jormundur had taken advantage of the natural environment around them to launch a surprise attack. Throwing himself into a spin, he quickly shot off three short blasts of fear, hoping to return the favor of a sudden strike. To his dismay, Jormundur dodged the first two and sent the third back at him with a gentle tilt of the wind currents, forcing him to break his frontal assault to absorb the blast.

"_Is that the best you have, brother?_" Jormundur taunted as another sphere of air collided with Sitedal's chest. "_I control the very air around us and you think tapping into your dark powers is enough to weaken me. We understand why you fled now . . . weakling._"

Narrowing his eyes, Sitedal charged forward, ramming into his brother at the notion of being called weak. He had left Corruption's power because of the damage the dark magic had on the minds of dragons. Based upon how Jormundur was acting, he suspected there was little chance of redemption for his wind-wielding sibling anymore.

Horns scraped against hardened scales as the two dragons exchanged blows, claws ripped into fragile wing membranes as they fought at close range. Rearing back after one particular bite to Jormundur's neck, Sitedal was caught off-guard when the thick tail of his sibling smashed into his chest, painfully crushing ribs as the action knocked him from the air and he crashed into the stream below. Getting off his back, he snarled and leapt from the water, forming a protective bubble around himself with red energy as the darkness that had already consumed his brother slowly taunted at his mind to embrace its rich influence.

A savage roar split the air as Sitedal made contact and manipulated the sphere he had formed to break apart and create thick restraints around his brother's arms and legs, locking the dragon in place as he clamped down on the greyling's neck. Jormundur tried to use the wind to throw his sibling off but Sitedal only increased the pressure of his bite, quieting the corrupted scale-flier.

"_Listen, I know there's still a part of you that wants to free Mother from this parasite known as Corruption. We can help each other achieve that goal, brother._"

Jormundur snarled softly, trembling in rage as Sitedal continued to hold him captive. "_Why would I ever dream of helping you? You turned your back on Corruption and just expect me to go along with that without questioning you._"

"_I understand you don't realize my reasons but trust me, Jormundur._"

"_Trust?_" Jormundur hissed, smacking his tail into his brother's left hind leg. "_I trusted you when we were growing up but that's changed now. You fail to understand the potential of the darkness and see it only as those weaklings do._"

"_There can be no light without dark, brother_," Sitedal snapped back, twisting around so that his body now pushed against the wings of his sibling and made it so that he was the only thing keeping both of them in the air.

Letting loose, Sitedal watched as Jormundur plummeted to the ground, unable to fly as he had punctured the wings while adjusting his position to ensure the plan would go as smoothly as possible. Wings steadily beating, he heard the frantic bellows of his grey sibling and knew that, while it pained him to have to end it like he did, he was doing right by stopping Corruption's influence. Sending down a blast of fear as a precaution, he closed his eyes and counted down the seconds, only to be surprised when he did not hear the splash of water he was expecting.

Eyes opening, Sitedal watched as Jormundur broke free from his restraints and came straight for him, sending short, compressed blasts of air in his direction to weaken him. He snarled, flipping backwards as the grey form of his brother flew past, releasing a stream of red mist towards the agile dragon in hopes of slowing it down. To his surprise, Jormundur turned and countered the blast by halting it with air, allowing the dark scale-flier to come straight at him.

The impact of Jormundur's charge into him stole his breath and Sitedal squirmed as they fell towards the ground. He couldn't move but he could still use his tail to batter away at the larger dragon, although his sibling quickly figured it out and wrapped his own tail around his brother's to prevent anymore damage. A blast of compressed air straight into his neck caught him unprepared and Sitedal coughed right as they struck the hard earth around the river bank.

Darkness threatened to overtake him but Sitedal fought to keep his eyes open as breathing grew labored the more he lay immobile from the force of the collision. He saw that Jormundur had escaped without damage from the corner of his eye and he snarled weakly, attracting the greyling's attention.

"_You survived the fall_," Jormundur remarked coldly as he advanced, forming another wind sphere in his open maw. "_Such a shame that this is the last time we will ever see face-to-face again, brother._"

Closing his eyes, Sitedal waited for the final strike that would kill him. He hadn't been strong enough to break Corruption's hold on Jormundur. The darkness was just too strong; there was no hope . . .

"_Stand down, Jormundur._" The sharp rasp of a dragon he never thought he would hear defending him startled Sitedal as he opened his eyes to see Arxa land in front of him, shielding him from the blast that would have killed him.

Apparently the sudden intrusion startled Jormundur as well for the grey dragon retreated a step, bowing his head in submission. Glancing at the dragoness before him as he rose onto his feet, Sitedal silently wondered what Arxa would do and why she entered into their conflict.

"_Raise your head_," Arxa hissed as she stepped forward, moving around to stand opposite both dragons. "_There is little need for such foolishness, wind-wielder. I will not have one of Narssia's sons thinking themselves any less worthy of the strength of the darkness._"

"_B-but Great One_ . . ." Jormundur pleaded as Sitedal sensed another presence within Arxa, one that warmed his heart as it meant Narssia had not been fully destroyed by the dark spirit yet.

"_Quiet, weakling_," the dark essence snarled as Jormundur lowered his head, glancing away from either of them. Turning her attention to Sitedal, Arxa softened her fierce tone, "_I trust you sense Narssia, fear-monger. We are united on this cause and I cannot force her to be silent forever . . ._"

Caught off guard by the statement, Sitedal snarled, "_Are you . . . actually admitting you've been wrong to silence her? When did you change your mind?_"

"_There were certain circumstances that allowed me to see beyond the rage that I only knew for so long_," Arxa admitted as Sitedal sensed the presence of two concealed yet strong flickers of life energy near her.

Silently wondering if one of the clones had been responsible for the act, Sitedal watched as Jormundur extended his wings and took to the air, sending down powerful gusts to test them. Snarling, he braved the fierce gale, retaliating with a Fear Shriek as he saw Arxa narrow her eyes before letting free a stream of ice at the greyling's wings. The numbing counter-strike by the black dragoness tapered the mighty air current and Sitedal used the few seconds the distraction provided to join his brother in the air, noticing the thin veins of frost slowly creeping over the wind-wielder's leathery appendages.

"_Brother, listen to reason. Arxa is making peace with our mother and I know you can escape from the darkness that has consumed you_," Sitedal pleaded as he stared directly into the dark topaz irises that had once been so bright and full of life before Corruption's magic entered into their lives.

Hissing, Jormundur drew back, eyes narrowing in rage. "_No matter what the _parasite _tells you, it will never change. Darkness is all it knows . . ._" He paused, closing his eyes as he added quietly, "_and it's all I know now_."

Hearing his brother admit the very thing they were fighting over nearly crushed Sitedal as he stared in shock at Jormundur, unsure of what to do now with the knowledge he had received. The grey dragon seemed to fall silent but Sitedal knew better as Arxa hissed softly, fanning out her wings as he suddenly sensed a darkness fill the air, its very essence the evil power he had swore he would never use.

"_What is he doing?_" Sitedal asked Arxa silently, figuring she would know best about the ways of the dark magic as she had been spawned from it herself.

'**_Channeling its magic, my son_**.' The response that he was met with wasn't from Arxa but from the very voice he was fighting to try and save, his own mother. '**_He has discovered abilities most alike to the dark dragons of ages long past. Those of our race that dared to use the most forbidden of powers, like Corruption, to achieve victory_**.'

"_How do you know about such things?_" Sitedal questioned as he felt the weight of the darkness threatening to overwhelm him even as Jormundur continued to remain near motionless with only a flap of his wings every while to stay in the sky.

'**_Vanz told me much during our partnership but I learned from Arxa as well, when I could manage to tolerate her ancient knowledge. It is from this that I learned how to survive when Jormundur and I went to the past and I was free of Corruption for some time . . ._**' Narssia trailed off, lost in her own thoughts as Sitedal contemplated what he had heard, blinking when he noticed Jormundur had reopened his eyes.

The normally topaz irises of his sibling had changed into blood red and Sitedal trembled, doing his best to starve off the darkness that drifted all around him. A shrill snarl rippled from Arxa's throat as Jormundur glared at them with disinterest.

"_How dare you twist Corruption's own magic against me?_" Arxa growled as Jormundur focused his attention on her. "_You know nothing of its properties, hatchling!_"

Blood red eyes narrowed as Jormundur hissed softly, "_Corruption trusts my judgement, not yours. You can't even silence your host!_"

Sitedal risked a glance at Arxa to see she was trembling, a low snarl rising from her throat as ice crystals formed around her maw. Returning his focus to his brother, he noticed the greyling had become disinterested again but the amount of darkness clouding the space continued to grow in intensity.

Roaring, Arxa rushed forward, slamming into Jormundur as she used every element she had available to weak him or even kill him. Despite missing a foreleg, Jormundur retaliated fairly well and managed to avoid most of her strikes. Twisting around her, he clamped his teeth around her neck and hurled both of them into the ground, easing off her throat to place his remaining front taloned limb down on her exposed neck.

Terror scraped at him but Sitedal couldn't force himself to move, his body acting as though he was immobilized in place by his own element. His own brother was stronger then the dragoness who had raised them both but the strength wasn't strictly from the greyling alone. Corruption, Sitedal suspected, had indeed turned in favor of Jormundur to allow him to achieve what he had just done.

Realizing he had to do something, Sitedal pressed his wings tight against his body and fell, angling himself so that he would charge straight into Jormundur. The impact felt to him like he had crashed into a massive stone but despite his best effort, it barely moved the wind-wielder and he was thrown back into a nearby tree by a strong breeze.

"_Now I can repay the favor for killing our father and for Raxmon's death. You will never roam this earth again_," Jormundur taunted as he pressed into her neck, drawing little streams of blood as Arxa's attempts to loosen his hold grew feeble and weak.

Black spots dancing before his eyes, Sitedal tried to snarl in protest but could barely remain conscious, blood squirting from his left forepaw in massive amounts and in numerous places. He could hardly move his head, his neck and back throbbing in protest at any moment. Even in his condition, he couldn't let Arxa die as that would kill Narssia as well.

"_Mother_," he whispered softly as consciousness fled from him and he dropped limply onto the forest floor . . .

* * *

><p>Uria tore through clone after clone but for every one he defeated, ten more would ambush him with their eyes wide and their movements erratic. He wondered why Amia would put so much time into a project that was doomed to fail from the start but figured he would probably never find out the answer. Taking a second to collect himself, he stared down twenty clones as they rushed for him, some human and others dragon but every face reflecting the same expression. While they were alive, their only purpose was to slaughter and kill and destroy everything with a possible relation or connection to Tamli.<p>

That was their goal, the reason for why they were created, Uria realized as his eyes glanced up at the darkening sky, feeling the first raindrop hit the tip of his snout. If there was any good way to die, it had to be fighting for those who would make the world a better place, he mused as he bared his teeth and toppled the first copies with a swing from his mighty tail, their broken bodies dropping onto the crimson-stained grass as more and more descended upon him, the wave seeming to have no end in sight . . .

* * *

><p>It was a comfort to Narssia to not be in direct control as Jormundur continued to press down on her throat but she also wondered what would happen if her body was killed. Would she die along with it or could there be another way she might be able to escape?<p>

'**Sitedal can't help us**,' Arxa wheezed as Narssia felt a brief twinge of pain reach her, the sensation bringing her focus back to their current situation. '**Uria is dying as we speak. After everything I've done to hurt those around you . . . Maybe this is how it should end . . .**'

'**_There's still hope, Arxa. You could reason with him . . ._** **_You know Corruption better . . ._**' Narssia knew the plea was weak but she couldn't afford to give up after everything that had happened.

Jormundur's low snarl resounded in their mind and Narssia sighed, realizing slowly that he was already too far gone to be reasoned with, leaving the only option open to them being to kill him. She didn't want to see her own children hurt but nothing was going to work to restore her grey son to the way he had once been. The darkness had no limits and, from how Arxa had talked, those she would have fought for herself were dying before their time.

When Arxa finally replied, it was hesitant and sluggish, leaving Narssia wondering how much more the dark spirit could take before it was too much. '**I can't keep fighting him. I'm sorry, little one**.'

'**_You tried_**,' she whispered in return, readying herself for the moment it would all end and the pain and guilt would go away . . .

* * *

><p>Jormundur stared down at his captive, noticing that she had stopped fighting him and simply lay there, awaiting her death. He was almost appalled by how easy it had been to force her into a position that allowed him to end her life with a break of the neck. Lifting his talons away, he bent down and gently grabbed her neck, feeling no resistence on her part.<p>

"_Put her down._" The rasped growl startled Jormundur and he narrowed his eyes, turning his head slightly to see, from the corner of his vision, the blind dragon Geer landing behind him, the blue scale-flier's scales covered with scratches and bite marks.

"_What could a useless little runt do to me?_" Jormundur scoffed, dropping Arxa onto the ground so he could fully face Geer.

Geer snorted, letting a brief flicker of electricity loose from his nostrils as he flared his wings. "_We shall see._"

Using his natural element to his advantage, Jormundur uprooted trees and threw them at the blind dragon, hoping to throw him off-guard. No matter what he tried, Geer avoided everything and even shocked him several times with jolts of electricity. Snarling, the grey dragon leapt in for the kill only to find his throat clamped onto by a powerful set of jaws a second later.

"_No one hurts a former bonded dragon_," Geer rumbled softly, almost mournful for what he was about to do before jerking his head back and snapping apart Jormundur's neck in one fluid motion . . .


	65. Defy Fate

**Chapter 65-Defy Fate**

Tanui was certain he would have lost his head had he not blocked the strike when he did, although the force of it still pushed him back a few inches. He took the opportunity presented to him when Tamli pulled his weapon back to crouch and lash out at the hybrid's legs, hoping to cripple the original to make the fight easier for him. His arm already was becoming numb, blood staining and seeping through what little cloth he had wrapped around the wound as he leaned back to avoid a slash aimed at his chest.

It took him by surprise when Tamli retreated a step suddenly, lowering his weapon to the ground as he shifted into dragon forme. The memory of the vision of his near-death while attempting to shift had left an impact on him, Tanui realized as he trembled while watching the hybrid alter its body into the more powerful might of a scale-flier. Once Tamli has shifted, the clone noticed the original hybrid walk over to Finca's body slowly, nuzzling her cold, clammy scales before raising his head and snarling at him, leaping in for an attack. He had not expected having to fight against his own other forme but, as he twisted away from the attack, it made sense if he truly wanted to conquer the best and prove he was the one worthy of being known as the dragon-human hybrid that survived.

Picking up the hybrid's sword from where it lay, Tanui hissed in surprise as the contact sent a wave of ice along both his arms and he let go of the weapon, only to find his injured arm and the bloodstained robe around the crippling wound getting sliced off with a shard of ice. Screaming, his hand went to the small stump of what was left, feeling the crimson liquid pour from the open area. In his weakened state he couldn't even heal his own body from an injury that could prove fatal depending on how long the fight lasted.

Snarling at Tamli as he shielded his body as best he could with his staff, Tanui moved backwards to try and put some distance between them. He remembered from the fight with Finca that getting in at close range wasn't good but long range also posed several problems. With Tamli a master of both ice and light elements, Tanui knew he would have to work hard to weaken the hybrid or else his own death would come swiftly.

"_I knew you would go after my sword once I put it down_," Tamli growled as the edges of his maw glistened with ice crystals. "_So I enhanced it against you. Every time you pick it up, more ice coats your arms and, as you saw, those body parts freeze fast and then shatter with enough pressure_."

Continuing to retreat, Tanui reached for the wraith's essence, hoping it would starve off the pain so he could try and end the fight quickly. A prolonged battle might just see the end of him so he had to make this quick to prove a point. Tightening his grip on his staff, he charged forward, being met with icy claws as he twisted and turned, trying to fight his way free of everything that had happened to him since he had discovered the original hybrid and killed his Master.

Slinking backwards after a few moments, Tamli blinked as he watched the clone stop and clutch at his head, sinking to its knees as a wailing cry rose from within it. He almost felt pity for the creature but shook his head, moving in to blast him with light and be done with the fight. Tilting his maw to be even with the back of the copy's head, he was about to let the attack loose when a sudden surge of icy fear gripped him in his tracks. He knew that sensation . . . had felt it already during the fighting when his beloved Finca was taken from him. Another dragon was dead because of a conflict that never should have started in the first place. Wondering briefly what friend had been killed, Tamli made the conscious choice to shift back into human forme, reaching out with telekinesis to grab his sword from where it lay.

Tossing off the remaining cloak he still wore, Tanui managed to come back to his senses as he rose to his feet and noticed Tamli had shifted again. Unsure of how to take the action, he hesitated as the blade in the hybrid's hand glowed an eerie icy blue. Something about the color put him on edge but he wasn't sure why exactly, he silently noted as he planted the end of his staff into the ground.

"I doubt you know this," Tamli commented as he glanced at the glowing sword in his hand, "but when you copied my sword, it brought out an interesting property hidden within the ancient steel it was formed from. Each blade made during the time spent in paradise has a certain element attached to it. It seems that mine bares a connection to ice, wouldn't you agree?"

Tanui hissed, narrowing his eyes at the gifted weapon as he silently cursed his luck for having his own sword destroyed by the hybrid only days before. Now he had only one arm and a staff that was meant to be two-handed. Letting a low snarl ripple from his throat, he raised his weapon from the ground and charged forward, swinging it out in front of him as Tamli neatly side-stepped out of the way as if he had never attacked in first place.

Eyes narrowing, Tanui twisted around and tried to follow Tamli, each strike seeming to land too late to even do any damage as the hybrid had already evaded the move. Snarling in disgust at himself, he wondered whether to let the wraith take over but knew he wanted to personally see to the death of the original. Tightening his grip on the wood, he felt lightning spark down his arm, the feeling comforting as he knew the material he was holding would conduct the electricity and make it so he didn't have to worry about his metal leg being in any danger.

"Giving up already?" Tamli taunted with a smirk, his eyes cold as Tanui felt the base of his skull throb dully, the lasting effect from his fight with Finca slowing his normal mental reflexes.

"Why would I?" He snapped back, feeling the wraith's essence inside of him grow anxious and cause a small amount of cracking along his left cheek. "Finca was just holding you back from your true potential! You could be so much more if you just embraced what she despised about you . . ."

A sudden constriction around his throat drowned out the rest of his words as Tanui found himself in a powerful telekinetic choke hold, the pressure hurting his neck as he saw a brief shine of unshed tears in the hybrid's eyes. Tamli quickly hid the display of emotion but Tanui knew he had hit a nerve with his comments, exactly what he wanted to accomplish. If he could push the original over the edge and make him think without reason, then victory basically was his for the taking.

"Never call my mate by what she was not. Finca knew there were limits and she accepted that from the day we bonded as human and dragon years ago. I will not have you tarnishing her memory!" Tamli screamed as Tanui let out a strangled cry, the constriction on his throat nearly making him black out.

Gesturing with a hand behind Tanui towards where Finca's body lay, Tamli continued, "You are the one that should have died back there. Finca never deserved what you did to her . . . Rados and Roylezn were not worthy of the fate you gave them either . . . Amia didn't know the monster he created when he made you but I wish he had known. If he had heard of your trouble, he would have killed you on the spot and ended his mad project. None of this would have ever happened!"

With each word, Tanui noticed the glisten return to the hybrid's eyes until actual tears began to fall. Once the choke hold vanished minutes later, Tanui sucked in a deep breath before coughing, spitting up some of his own blood as he fell to his knees, dropping the staff to the ground. The wraith's gleeful stirring within him nearly made him sick as he reached for his weapon and used it to get back onto his feet, trying to starve off the weariness that was slowly descending on him from his destroyed arm and the pressures of the last few days. Retreating several steps, the clone tried to get himself mentally back into the fight as Tamli rushed for him again and threw him to the ground.

Held by the sheer weight of the hybrid above him, Tanui felt his staff drop from his hand as Tamli tightly gripped his wrist, shoving it back into the dirt painfully even as he tried to lift his arm to try and attack. Feeling the cold steel of the original's blade graze his throat, the clone realized Tamli had passed the sword into his left hand, quivering as the sensation brought the memories of the torture back into the forefront of his mind . . .

**Blood trickled from Tanui's lips as Tamli entered into the cell once again, having changed into a pair of black shorts and a white muscle shirt as his right hand curled around a small object. With his hands held above his head once more and his back barely healed from the scarring left on it from the dagger hours before, the clone weakly stared at his captor in dulled interest as Tamli walked over to raise up his chin with a finger. Purple irises met muted red for a moment before a jarring pain tore through Tanui's chest, the sensation forcing him to bare his full weight on his wrists as his body convulsed and then hung limply.**

**Moving back a step, Tamli chuckled softly as the object in his hand flickered in the dim light that managed to break through the dusty glass of the cell. "It is interesting how even the simplest of devices can be used for torture," he mused as he glance down to the small metallic prongs that stood out from the rest of the black device clutched so firmly in his grip. "You may possess the skills needed for electricity but this tool can still be used against you to an alarming degree of usefulness."**

**The electricity-generating weapon wasn't of their own making, Tanui decided as weariness descended on him. For some reason, Tamli had been able to briefly cross realms to go onto Earth and into the territory of humans to gather the object responsible for the shock he had received. Still feeling the effect of the shock, his gaze dropped to the floor as Tamli turned to leave.**

**"_Tanui, I warn you now that you had better be up to the challenge when the time comes for our final confrontation_," Tamli announced mentally before walking out and abandoning Tanui back to the isolation he knew kept every other dragon safe from him . . . **

Pulled back from the memory he would rather forget, Tanui clenched his teeth and let electricity surge from his fingertips, feeling the pressure on his arm and body both fade as Tamli rolled off of him to avoid the strike. Sitting up, he glanced down to see if the strike had done any damage to his metal leg as the hybrid got back onto his feet and passed his sword back into his right hand. There was a slight bit of charred metal along the top of the artificial limb but the main part was still functioning, although he had to be careful with how fast the original could strike as it might slow him down.

"You don't know how much I want to kill you right now," Tamli remarked as he walked over, dragging the tip of his sword along Tanui's collarbone, "but I wouldn't be doing Finca any honor if the slaughter wasn't drawn out to match her own."

Digging the talon-like portion of his metal limb into the ground, Tanui threw himself at Tamli, ripping the sword out of the hybrid's hand with a telekinetic shove as he pulled down the original onto the ground. When he tried to get back onto his feet, he realized that the ground under them was slowly turning into mud, signaling that a steady rainfall had begun without his notice during their fighting as he slipped and landed painfully on his left side. Raising his head, he blinked as he glanced around to see that where they had been exchanging blows was now a vast muddy terrain that presented its own problems.

"It seems that nature itself wishes to aid in our conflict," Tamli muttered in amusement as he rolled away and found his footing, moving his sword back into his hand through telekinesis as Tanui struggled to get up.

"You call this an improvement?" Tanui snapped back as lightning briefly flickered along his arm, forcing himself to stand as he raised his staff out of the mud and back into his hand subconsciously. "With the fighting we have been doing, this weather will only slow us down!"

Tamli briefly glanced at his blade before he answered, the words spoken reminding rather than angry. "Amia should have trained you to fight in such conditions, hybrid."

Hearing the words so fiercely spoken out against his Master, Tanui couldn't stop the scream of rage that tore from his throat as he charged forward, leaving a long scratch along Tamli's side as the hybrid tried to avoid the hit. Twisting his staff, he managed to inflict several scratches before Tamli could move away, although he followed with a powerful blow meant for the head that caught his target on the edge of his shoulder instead. The hit still had enough force to cause Tamli to fall onto the muddy ground, dazed as the clone hesitated to deliver the finishing blow.

Disoriented from the attack, Tamli somehow managed to force the staff out of the copy's hands as his eyes found Tanui's crimson irises. Even with his weapon gone, the rejected clone still refused to end the fight as he knew he should, something about the amethyst irises before him holding him back. He had no explanation for why the image seemed so familiar or the reason behind his sudden reluctance to end their fight.

**'_Kill him!_'**

The quiet rasp of a voice he had silenced so long ago startled Tanui and he instinctively let electricity flicker from his fingertips as his Master's command echoed through his head. Killing Amia had given him peace of mind for days until the mental decay had returned to plague him and remind him of his place in the world as a defective clone, leading to him endangering Nethial in Tel-var and distancing himself from the ones that only wanted to help him.

Clutching his head, he snarled softly as he closed his eyes, feeling the wraith stir nervously inside of him. He didn't have to fulfill his destiny and could let Tamli walk away from their conflict without another word. Torn over how to act, a darker part of his mind reminded him of why he had been created in the first place and he growled, dropping to his knees.

Unconcerned with his artificial limb now, Tanui lowered his hand from his skull and opened his eyes, finding Tamli's gaze as the original glanced at him with worry and perhaps pity. His palm tingled with electricity as he went to place it on his chest, knowing now he was making the right decision by choosing to end it this way.

Worry turned to panic as Tamli caught on to his plan, a rising fear present in the hybrid's voice. "What are you doing? Tanui, it doesn't have to end this way," he begged as he tried to reach out to the clone.

"I've done so much wrong that nothing I ever do could make up for it. Finca, Rados . . . countless others I killed only to fulfill the purpose Amia gave me. In all the bloodshed I lost sight of who I had once been, an identity that was stripped from me the more the decay progressed." Tanui was impressed with himself to keep his voice so steady as he pushed aside the feeble attempt made by Tamli. "I attacked the ones closest to me, thinking they were the source of my pain and misery . . . Nethial was left scarred and Ladetis can no longer fly because of me, because I pushed them away right when I needed them the most."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Tamli whispered as he drew back his hand and Tanui felt the first arcs of electricity flicker against his skin, burning through the tunic's thin fabric. "You were scared and reacted out of instinct when you isolated yourself. I should know, I've done it before only to regret it later."

Closing his eyes, Tanui pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the electricity surge through his entire body. He heard his metal leg whine pitifully before the smell of burning flesh signaled he had destroyed the artificial limb and was ruining what natural skin and bone remained. The erratic voices that had plagued him for so long seemed to silence themselves as he felt his skin become charred and he briefly heard Tamli cry out his name . . .

* * *

><p>Encountering a clone in mid-shift, Dhran pulled his sword from its sheath and sliced the hybrid straight across its chest, retreating as it let out a dreadful scream before falling to the ground dead. With the mass of dragons and hybrids alike fighting in the skies above him, he had to be careful to avoid accidently getting into the path of a dead scale-flier, although he had Seraphina warding off attacks from both above and around as best she could as she stayed close to him. Despite her small size, she could kill the copies who had taken human forme with little effort and shove their larger foes out of the way.<p>

A sudden burst of electricity rose high into the sky from the west, its location similar to where Finca had died and Dhran clenched his sword tighter, fearing the worst. If Tamli had been unable to kill the erratic clone known as Tanui then what chance did any of them have against the psychotic hybrid should he choose to target them next? Concerned and worried, he felt Seraphina's mind brush against his own, her very presence soothing his fears as he briefly glanced at her to see the same uncertainty reflected within her own irises.

"_Tamli will be fine, Dhran_," Seraphina growled softly as she turned to rip apart another clone, her claws glistening a bloody red as the ground around them slowly became mud that mixed with the crimson fluid of their dead enemies. "_He has the wisdom of the ancients to guide him and I suspect Finca is as protective of him in death as she was while she was still alive . . ._"

"_But what about the clone? He did target specific individuals close to Tamli for a reason . . ._" Dhran responded as he twisted his blade through the body of another insane copy of the hybrid.

Seraphina snorted, raising her head proudly to glare at him with a single iris as a low snarl rippled up her throat in protest. "_Airu, trust my judgement, please. Was I wrong about Aurelia? This event is beyond your control and you know it._"

Dhran sighed, realizing her words were correct but he was still concerned about Tamli. In the time he had known the hybrid, it was clear they had a leader among them. With Uria missing and possibly dead, the one they rallied around might soon be Finca's mate . . . if he was the one to survive the fierce battle against his darker copy.

* * *

><p>Taking his first breath after the death of the psychotic hybrid, the dusty air caught in his throat and sent him into a coughing spasm. Unable to catch his breath as he lay on his back, Tamli wondered if he would die where he was as it felt to him like hot ash and smoke was filling his lungs. His body jerked with every rasp of a breath he tried to reach for and he heard something twist in his back, the sensation of pain clouding his senses as he dug his fingers into the muddy ground around him for support.<p>

When he did manage to get a clear breath a few minutes later, he thought for a second that he had been the one to sacrifice himself as Tamli wearily opened his eyes to see the chaos that remained of the field where he had fought Tanui to avenge Finca's death. Wisps of smoke rose from the ground as the very spot where the clone had been was nothing but a large ring of black. Broken, twisted trees cradled the small area they had fought in and the resulting blast from the clone's death had covered him in mud and ashes. The impact had thrown Tamli back several feet but he was alive, although it seemed to him unfitting to get his victory by the self-destruction the copy had shown.

Struggling to sit up, he made a mental note of all the injuries that seemed to have arisen since the end of their vicious fight between copy and original. Glancing down, he saw the muck that covered his body and noticed several large burns across his chest and along his legs and arms. His back twinged painfully as he rose into a sitting position, the movement making him dizzy. Once the sensation had passed he experimentally moved his left leg just to see the extent of his wounds, hissing in discomfort as he felt swelling and tenderly reached down to discover he had somehow twisted his knee during the explosion. He also suspected his arm from where Tanui had struck him down to the ground was possibly broke or either his shoulder was deeply bruised because every small movement sent pain radiating throughout the limb.

The numerous scratches Tanui had inflicted and the countless other wounds he had obtained seemed trivial compared to the emotions that finally were able to rush through him now that the fighting was over. Finca . . . His mate, his partner-of-heart was dead. Maybe the clone had been right to admit he couldn't be redeemed after all he had done?

"Tamli?" The quiet timidness of her voice slowly revealed it to be Nethial as he collected his composure and turned his head to glance behind him, seeing her walk up from the direction of the rest of the battle between Corruption's forces and the resistance of the Compound.

"Nethial," he whispered softly in response as he noticed her clothing torn and covered with blood. "How are the others doing?"

Placing a hand on his shoulder, she knelt next to him, gazing at the dark ring of ash that stood in the center of the field. "The battle is . . . Tamli," she rasped in warning, "don't change the subject away from yourself. I know you're grieving over Finca . . ." She paused for a moment, her eyes fixated on the final remains of the cloned hybrid. "Tanui is dead, isn't he?"

"He killed Finca," Tamli muttered softly, glancing away as tears collected in his eyes. "Tanui did the one thing I never dreamed he was capable of achieving . . ."

"Tanui was deranged even when I first met him during my darkest moments. It wasn't until Tel-var that I understood just how dangerous he was," Nethial remarked as Tamli briefly glanced up at her in an attempt at trying to be interested in what she was saying. "I know Finca meant everything to you. When Ladetis killed Attor, I wanted nothing but to avenge his death. It was only after learning that it was to stop Jhira from killing me did I understand and forgive him for his actions-"

"What does that have to do with me? Finca is dead and the one that killed her electrocuted himself to death!" Tamli snarled, cutting off Nethial and she promptly lifted her hand away out of worry.

Her attention turned elsewhere as Tamli realized the majority of the blood on her was not from killing other clones. Numerous gashes leaked the crimson liquid and he quietly chided himself for not asking how she was doing in the midst of their most dangerous conflict with the darkness. Taking a second glance over her, he saw that one of her metal legs had a large hole in it, revealing the delicate inner workings. He briefly wondered why one of the clones hadn't taken advantage over that weakness and destroyed the limb but it could have been from a conflict right before she came to find him.

"This feels familiar, doesn't it?" He teased softly, hoping to draw her back into the conversation as she continued to stare off distantly.

"It does." Her voice was cold and emotionless, giving Tamli the impression she was struggling over how to respond to the death of the clone as she finally sat down next to him. "Do you regret not knowing Raoul until now?"

It was several minutes before Tamli softly answered, his voice catching in his throat as he continued to gaze upon the ruins of what had plagued him for weeks. "I only regret my decision to be a part of Amia's twisted idea that multiple souls could exist within one being. When I discovered the clones had been created, I knew Amia had overstepped his own moral boundaries, if there had been any in the first place."

"How was it for you?" Nethial asked as she gently placed her hand over his, giving it a light squeeze. "To be trapped inside there with Santerous and Amia?"

His eyes flickered to her before his attention went to where her hand rested on his own. "Confusing at first," he admitted, "but it became lonely after a while. Everyone we knew had either died in the war against Corruption or had gone back to the Dominion for protection. There was many days when silence ruled over all three of us and in those times of quietness I found myself thinking of you."

Tamli paused for a moment as his eyes drifted to the necklace Nethial wore that Tanui had made for her before continuing to speak. "I wondered what my life could have been like if I had stayed. How I would have seen my son grow up to be a powerful influence and the trials I could have faced because of our actions. Those times made me realize just how cruel fate can be but I never lost my hope that Amia would see to his downfall by his own hand . . ."

Nethial surprised him as she tightly gripped his hand and Tamli silently cringed as the motion jarred his wounded shoulder. He didn't say anything to inform her of the pain but the silence between them must have made her uneasy because she quickly let go and looked away.

"Nethial," Tamli whispered softly as he felt weariness descending over him. "Tell me the truth. Is what I sense in you real?"

Her hesitation confirmed what he had begun to sense only within the last few moments. Something had happened between Nethial and Tanui but he couldn't quite figure out what their connection was. He had seen her glance at the remaining ashes frequently during their conversation but her mannerisms suggested nothing had occurred.

"I was hoping to avoid having to tell you this," she muttered quietly. "There was more that went on in Tel-var then I originally mentioned. Tanui rejoiced at my restoration and we-"

"You made love to him," Tamli interjected, a trace of anger lacing his weary voice. "That's why I can sense the faintest beginning of new life within you. I thought the clones were sterile."

Nethial slowly returned her gaze to him, her reluctant behavior further confirming his belief that she was indeed now carrying the clone's offspring. "All but Tanui were created to be unable to reproduce. Amia had high hopes for the psychotic hybrid."

"I suspected as much," he softly responded as his eyes closed, his own force of will the only thing keeping him sitting up.

Her hand tentatively reached up and brushed against his cheek, the sensation taking him back to the nights they spent together in paradise. Bracing a hand against the ground, Tamli used his other to grasp hers and pull it away, cushioning it gently. With his body and mind exhausted, he was afraid of what she might try if he let his guard down.

Unable to keep his arm steady, Tamli fell back onto the ground as he clenched his teeth to keep from screaming in pain. There was certainly something wrong with his back but he would have to figure out exactly what it was later. He heard Nethial call out his name but he was already fading, consciousness fleeing from him . . .


	66. Resolution

**Chapter 66-Resolution**

Narssia was initially in shock as Jormundur's neck snapped but as Geer dropped the dead dragon and started towards her she realized that her training in the past had been for this very event that she was now faced with deciding how to overcome. Letting a low snarl rise from the jaws once belonging to her as she overwhelmed Arxa temporarily, she forced herself onto her feet and backed away from the blind scale-flier.

"_Geer, stay back_," she warned, gathering the darkness within herself as Windra had taught her to during her visit to the past with the same son who was now dead.

'**What are you doing?**' Arxa snarled faintly, fighting to reclaim the control over Narssia that Corruption had held for years. '**He just saved our life but you insist on driving me away . . .**'

Shaking her head, Narssia snorted in mock amusement at the dark spirit's question. '**_Not driving you away exactly but destroying your influence on me_**,' she growled back as she closed her eyes.

Arxa's stunned silence confirmed her thoughts and Narssia hurried her pace, trying to find the inner peace she had latched onto during the time spent with Windra. Finally realizing the action she had to take, she flared her wings and rose into the air before unleashing hundreds of tiny spikes of corrupted malice from within her body. Although the channeling of the darkness into a form she could work with took most of her strength, she welcomed the feeling she would have once the evil magic was purged from every pore of her world-weary frame . . .

* * *

><p>The sound of rushed movement around her woke Narssia later, the painful glare of a blue light hanging above her bringing her into consciousness fully. She reluctantly glanced around to find she was in a small room with several other dragons laying on straw cots similar to the one her underbelly was resting overtop of. Blinking, she felt a strange buzzing within her mind but ignored the odd sensation and focused her gaze on the scale-flier closest to her to discover it was Sitedal, his left foreleg and back heavily bandaged as a gentle snore rising from his direction confirmed he was still asleep as she was unable to see his eyes without lifting her head and possibly causing more damage than she wanted. Her neck was deeply bruised, she could feel that much, but it concerned her little as she watched her son sleep peacefully.<p>

"_You don't have to pretend you are still asleep_," came the quiet rasp of a she-dragon inside her mind that made her first think of Arxa and so she snarled softly, only to be hissed at a moment later for disturbing the peace.

"_Who are you?_" She asked, willing to take a risk by opening her mind to the strange dragon that had questioned her at first.

"_The name is Verdra and while others may have concerns over treating you, you are still an injured dragon . . ._"

Intrigued by the contact with Verdra, having never met the dragoness before except while under Arxa's control, Narssia glanced around to see if she could find the one she was communicating with. Her search only turned up more injured and hurt dragons and she sighed dejectedly, smoke rising from her nostrils.

Lifting her head, Narssia turned to see what wounds she had received herself during the conflict. Before she did, however, her thoughts turned to a different subject that had to be resolved. Prior to Arxa joining in the battle, she had suggested and created a small area of magic that could protect the eggs until the outcome was figured out and, now, she suspected what side had been the victor. Allowing the magical shield around her new offspring to fade slowly as to conserve her own strength, the two glistening eggshells gradually appeared next to her and she pressed them up against her side with her tail.

Feeling her neck twinge with pain, she remembered Jormundur engaging Arxa in direct conflict and knew that bruises were almost expected to come from near-death moments like what she had been through. To be so close to dying had terrified her but she had, at least, hidden her secret knowledge of how to control and manipulate the darkness within her until the right time when she could release it to finish what so many others had tried to accomplish on their own.

"_What became of the clones?_" Narssia asked softly, hesitant to know the answer for fear of what Verdra might tell her.

"_Vaporized into ash, all of them . . ._"

From out of the corner of her eye, Narssia caught a glimpse of a black dragoness walking over, its amethyst irises sparkling in the light that managed to keep the chamber semi-lit. Pulling the eggs closer to her, she hissed softly, baring her teeth in warning. After everything Arxa and Corruption had put her through, letting her future offspring be taken from her wasn't going to happen as long as she was conscious enough to keep them safe.

"_Relax, Narssia. I'm not after the eggs, especially after what happened to my own . . ._" Verdra hummed in contentment as Narssia gradually lowered her guard and allowed the black she-dragon to walk over.

Curiosity perked at what had happened to Verdra, Narssia decided to question her on the details. "_I don't mean to pry but what happened to your offspring?_"

Verdra quietly snorted, eyes distant as she turned to examine Sitedal's injuries. "_The clone came and slaughtered two while they were hatching. It was the remaining one that became Tanui's partner until the decay proved too much and the psychotic hybrid copy broke the bond._"

Narssia was stunned to silence for a moment, remembering Arxa ripping to shreds Ladetis's wings as punishment for his failed rider's constant mistakes. She had seen the fledgling with her own eyes but never thought on it until she had broken free from the darkness herself. Telling Verdra the truth would only hurt her and she had done enough damage to last a lifetime anyway from simply giving in to her own anger and rejection and causing Corruption to form the monster that she had been known as for years.

"_I'm the reason this entire war was started_," Narssia whispered as she lowered her head to rest on her front legs. "_If I hadn't lost myself in my misery after Vanz died then none of this heartache would have ever happened._"

"_Despite what has occurred, you are not the one to blame_."

The sudden calming voice of Geer seemed to ease her fears and Narssia sighed, glancing behind her to see him slowly limping towards her. His blue scales were darkened in places and she noticed several large cuts along his belly and sides. A part of her felt pity for him as she knew of his inability to see, a defect created even before his hatching, but the lingering remnants of Corruption's darkness seemed to scoff at her compassion for the blind dragon.

"_Geer, you should have told me you were coming_," Verdra hummed softly as he stopped beside Narssia and placed the tip of his tail on her flank to steady himself.

"_I was only released recently_," he admitted with a low growl as Narssia glanced between the two, occasionally finding her attention drawn to her son. "_After what happened, I knew I had to come see Narssia. The death of a sibling is terrible but I can only sympathize with her over the demise of Jormundur, her own child_."

"_Geer, how long has it been? I don't remember much after you . . ._" Unable to bare the thought of admitting she was talking to the dragon who had killed her son, Narssia simply let the words fade into nothing as her attention was perked at knowing how long it had been since Arxa had plagued her last.

Snorting softly, Geer turned his head towards her as he quietly replied, "_Two days now since the war was decided in our favor with the destruction of the clone army and Corruption's malice erased . . ._"

The response should have calmed her fears but Narssia still flinched at hearing how long it had been since she had broken free of Corruption's hold over her. Even with the memory still fresh in her mind of letting loose the massive blast of dark energy that should have killed her after all she had been through, it was still hard to believe that the malice which had plagued her for so long was finally destroyed.

"_Verdra_," Geer growled softly, directing his words to his half-sister as he lifted his tail away from Narssia's weary body. "_If you don't mind, release Narssia from intensive care. Her wounds are healing nicely and I will take full responsibly for her until other measures can be arranged . . ._"

Narssia wondered what wounds Geer had referred to but silently chided herself for doubting the dragon who had saved her life. Although it still hurt her to think of Jormundur becoming consumed by Corruption's power, she was forced to accept the truth if only to be comfortable with the dragon who had killed her greyling son standing so close to her. Not that she didn't feel something when he addressed her directly but it was difficult with him being unable to physically see her.

"_As you wish_," Verdra snorted after a moment. "_I hope you know what you're doing. She's still damaged, Geer._"

Geer sighed, turning to help Narssia stand as her limbs felt rubbery and unable to support her weight. Now she understood why he had said she was wounded. The injuries were both of physical and mental origin, creating a vast scarring that stretched deep into her very identity. Despite what she might say or do, it would be the legacy of Arxa and Corruption that remained with her to define who she had been during the darkest time of her life.

Stepping off the straw that she had been resting on, Narssia fell against Geer's side and immediately jerked away, afraid that the blind dragon would sense her conflicting thoughts and emotions. Although she was now free to be herself once again, it was hard to keep herself from dwelling on the negative that had weighted her down for years. The darkness had defined her when she had isolated herself from the rest of their kind and it was challenging to figure out how to adapt back into the society she had left.

"_Come with me_," Geer hummed gently before he begun to walk, brushing his snout against her neck in comfort as Narssia hesitantly shied away from the contact.

Uncertain of what the future held for her, Narssia reluctantly followed after him, careful to keep her distance as she wondered why new feelings had arisen in her that matched what she had felt for Mirage and even Raxmon. Shaking her head, she sighed as the realization of what her emotions were telling her became obvious. There was no way she would ever see herself as worthy of having another dragon love her but it seemed her subconscious did not share similar views on the subject.

* * *

><p>Time seemed to have no meaning once he had collapsed during talking with Nethial after Tanui's death but Tamli slowly found his way back to conscious thought. At first, it was only muddled fragments of words that reached him but he could eventually hear the exact words spoken about him as awareness returned in fragments.<p>

"_. . . It should not be long before he awakens, child_."

"But he sustained serious injuries during the fight," a voice complained in reply, its tone slowly reminding Tamli of Raoul as he gradually regained consciousness.

A low moan escaped him as Tamli blinked open his eyes to find his surroundings vastly different then where he had collapsed after Tanui's self-inflicted death. Unlike the forest which had been the backdrop for the fight between clone and original hybrid, the area he was now in was sterile and mainly white. He suspected it might be part of Aurelia's own facility given he had little experience with where the woman worked deep in the vast complex of the Compound.

His fingers twitched subconsciously and he glanced down to see that his clothes had been taken off and bands of white cloth had been stretched across much of his body. From the burns to the scratches left by the clone's staff, Tamli understood why those that had been treating him had been so cautious. Even with his unnatural healing rate, it would take time for him to recover.

Lifting his gaze to see Raoul, he was surprised to see a dragon he was unfamiliar with standing next to his son. From the color of its scales, Tamli was unsure if the scale-flier was dark blue or black but its piercing grey eyes reminded him of Nethial.

"Raoul," he rasped, hearing in his own voice how fragile he still was from the fight, "who is that dragon?"

"I believe he came at the request of Nethial, father," Raoul calmly responded, gazing at him as Tamli turned his focus to his bandaged body once more.

"That still doesn't explain-"

"_Peace, Dragonsbane, I mean you no harm. It is true that it was at the request of Nethial that I come but it was also to fulfill a promise I made to the one who trained me_," the dragon hummed, the deepness to its voice betraying how young it looked. "_My name is Cambre and I was both raised and trained by Attor after the Battle of Corruption_."

A look of confusion clouded Tamli's irises for a moment before he whispered, "I see . . ."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Mother did what she felt was right for a change." Raoul crossed his arms, walking over to stand protectively next to Tamli.

"Those enslaved by darkness can be redeemed. You just have to give them a chance," Tamli muttered softly, averting his gaze as his thoughts went back to what Nethial had revealed to him after Tanui's death.

His own first love, the very one he had mourned over after her death on the battlefield against Corruption had connected with Tanui so deeply as to make love to the psychotic hybrid. Snarling softly under his breath, Tamli shook his head, still unable to understand her reasoning for ripping away the very fabric of their relationship as it had kept them so close even after his own disappearance and Raoul's birth. Where had Nethial gone to cause her to forsake the promises they had made to each other? He knew from the time he met her that their lives were destined to intertwine, but it was possible that his own abilities had brought about her withdrawal after he left with Amia. Bitter, forsaken by the one she had loved . . . Was that truly how he had left her to become so angry and distraught with him? The darkness had to have discovered her feelings and enhanced them, hoping to force her into breaking during the thousands of years she was wrapped within its presence.

"Father?" A light squeeze of his hand pulled Tamli back to his senses and he blinked, averting his gaze from Raoul as he angrily wiped away the few tears that had fallen during his assessment of what had driven Nethial to seek out the clone as a partner in which to confide.

"Sorry," he muttered softly, glancing over at Cambre as he sensed movement nearby and unknowingly tensed at realizing who it was that was coming to see him.

"_Come, child. We should give your father some time to himself_." Cambre growled, motioning towards the door to the room as Raoul reluctantly let go of Tamli's hand and took a step back.

"Try and recover your strength," Raoul whispered in reassurance before following after Cambre and leaving the room, allowing Tamli a chance to let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding.

Several minutes passed before Tamli turned his head to the door that opened into his room, still sensing the consciousness of another person right outside. "They're gone now. It's fine for you to enter."

"How did you know it was me?" Nethial asked as she eased open the door and slipped inside, trying to make as little sound as possible.

"Who else has a metallic click with each footstep? You, my dear, are not good at being subtle," Tamli commented as he allowed himself a brief smile at seeing her relatively unharmed from the fighting.

Nethial chuckled, walking over to him and stopping right next to his arm. "You know I didn't want you to find out about . . . that. It's just I got caught up in the heat of the moment and I . . ."

"I understand," Tamli whispered as he painfully lifted his right hand and grabbed one of her own. "How long has it been? It feels like only hours but I suspect that isn't right."

"It's been two days. There has been extra security around both you and . . . her but supplies are starting to run out and most of the dragons are still injured . . ."

Tamli noticed the desperation creeping up in her voice and he tightened his grip on her hand, clenching his teeth to mask the pain of further working his tired body. "Calm down, Nethial. What about Uria? He should be leading those that are not as injured out to search for food . . ."

Her immediate silence worried him at first but he ignored it, thinking she was lost in her own thoughts. Glancing up at her, Tamli noticed her expression was solemn, mournful as though something had happened during the time he had been unconsciousness. He had felt the pain of a dragon dying during the fight with Tanui but it couldn't be that their leader following Makiar's own death had perished . . .

"He can't lead them. Tamli, Uria was killed during the attack. Several dragons confirmed his body was surrounded by a ring of clones, each one dead but not before they overwhelmed the red scale-flier." Her voice was gentle, softer than normal and Tamli noticed her gaze had fallen to observing his bandaged body. "Even with your advanced healing rate those wounds still aren't mended?"

"For my wounds to heal, I need to be conscious," he remarked, relaxing his grip on her hand. "I still can't believe he's dead . . ."

Tamli was startled when Nethial suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the bed. Bracing himself against her delicate frame, he let her hand go and shakily stabilized his position on the floor as he found his footing. Once his balance was steady, Nethial backed away from him and levitated a black cloak into the room.

"Get dressed," she commanded as she shoved the material into his arms, averting her gaze from his wounded body while he tossed on the robe to cover the multitude of bandages. "It's time you presented yourself as a leader before your new followers."

Tamli hesitated before responding, his gaze captured on her necklace as he realized it was the crest of the Order from their time in paradise. "But I don't want-"

"Hush, Tamli. The dragons deserve to see you in your current state, to know that their new ruler is also a victim of the conflict as they were. Having lived through a change of power as I did when Vanz assumed the throne, I know how important first impressions are, especially with your dual nature. You need to appeal to both humans and dragons alike, not that you had any trouble doing that back in paradise . . ."

Nethial finally glared at him in impatience and Tamli sighed as he finished adjusting his new outfit to make sure it fit properly. Nodding her head in approval, she started towards the door, only to pause when he did not follow after her lead.

"Anything wrong?" She asked as she glanced behind her to see Tamli had not moved since putting on the cloak.

"N-no."

The reply was hesitant, making it seem as though Tamli was covering up something he refused to speak about. Concerned, Nethial turned around to see him angrily wiping away tears, his eyes closed as his hands trembled slightly. As she watched him, the realization of what he had gone through hit her and she softly gasped. Finca, his beloved dragon and soul mate had been killed by the very creature he had, unknowingly, created. Tanui was him, the worst parts of him, but they basically were the same individual. Amia had known this and had used the clone to deal him the worst injury of all by killing the one he loved more than life itself.

"Tamli, I'm . . . I'm sorry. I didn't realize . . ."

Collecting himself, he cleared his throat and opened his eyes to see her slowly retreat. "It's fine. You were not aware of my pain. I had hoped to be given time to mourn her loss but if you feel it is better for me to jump right into being the leader of the Compound's dragons then so be it."

Nethial continued to retreat until she backed into a wall, staying where she was as Tamli soon walked past, exiting the room with a swish of the cloak around him as he gathered his hands in front of him. He didn't expect her to understand why he had acted the way he had but seeing her brought back the image of Tanui standing near Finca's dead body, staff in hand as he cradled his right arm. Until he could put those memories out of his mind, he would distance himself from her.


	67. Reawakening

**Chapter 67-Reawakening**

It wasn't long until Geer stopped at a small hole in the rock formation around them and Narssia suspected this was where she would be held until the dragons had their say of what to do with her. She wasn't scared of their punishment but she was unnerved by how no scale-flier had made an attempt to kill her yet. After what she had done, she expected there were quite a few who would enjoy ripping her apart. Shuddering, she shied away from the blind dragon and sat down a few feet away, curling her tail against her right hind leg.

"_Narssia_," Geer began, his unnaturally calming voice soothing her worry, "_do you know why I took you under my protection? I wanted you because of something I felt in you the moment I sensed you were about to be killed by Jormundur. There was such repentance within your mind, buried under all the darkness of Arxa and Corruption. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I knew I had to make a way for you to get a second chance at life. If I didn't try my hardest to make that happen then nothing would be complete . . ._"

"_Is this where you're going to put me until my fate is decided?_" Narssia asked meekly, lowering her head as the thought of impending exile echoed through her mind.

Geer snorted, lifting a foreleg as he turned to face her. "_Leave you? Narssia, I would never do that to you. You are under my watch now and I won't let anything bad happen to you_."

Narssia felt her breath catch in her throat as Geer lowered his foretaloned limb back onto the ground before walking over to her and giving her a gentle nuzzle. The contact with the blind dragon reminded her so much of Mirage and Raxmon that she snorted in surprise and twisted away angrily. Letting a low snarl ripple free, she stood and turned away from him as he retreated a step in confusion over her behavior to his kind gesture.

"_I'm sorry . . . The last dragon that did that to me had his neck ripped out minutes later by me as Corruption took hold and formed Arxa to become what I never could. My empathy made me relate to others but she cared little for the gift and tossed it aside like it was worthless . . ._"

She wasn't aware that she was crying until she noticed the small drops of water splashing against the rock under her as Geer warily approached her and draped a wing over her frame. As much as she wanted to push him away, Narssia felt deep inside that she couldn't. Something was keeping her where she was, a presence who made itself known with a soft hum.

'**This is for your own benefit, lost one**,' the presence whispered as Narssia felt a stirring within her mind that informed her it was the spirit of Finca who had seen fit to intrude on her time with Geer.

"_Geer, do you-?_" Narssia started to inquire but Finca softly hushed her, informing her that, while they talked, time would not move around them and that she had come only to speak with Narssia herself.

'**My control over the magic of time allows for this interaction to take place without my son being aware of it**,' Finca answered in response to a question Narssia was just barely forming over how she could manipulate time itself. '**I've known your distress for some time, Narssia. It was I who put in motion Geer finding you and saving your life . . .**'

"_You were barely dead by that point, Finca. Why come and help me? I am nothing but a discarded shell of who I used to be_," Narssia snapped back bitterly, sliding free of Geer's contact with her and scraping at the floor under her with a taloned forelimb.

'**We both know that isn't true. You had the strength to stand up to Arxa and Corruption, even unleashing your control over the shadows to end Amia's twisted fantasy . . . The inner courage you displayed is overwhelming, Narssia. No matter what happens, trust that I will be watching from the shadows . . .**'

"_While I appreciate the concern you have for me, can I ask you something? It's just been troubling me recently and Arxa was little help . . ._"

'**What plagues your weary mind?**' Finca hummed, the softness in her voice reminding Narssia of how Ryta used to address her before Corruption had taken hold and destroyed their relationship.

"_My mother . . . Who was she? I never have heard any dragon speak of her and prior to Corruption controlling me, I heard others whisper phrases like Nira's forsaken offspring whenever I would walk past. Do you know anything?_"

Finca's hesitation to answer the question worried Narssia at first but eventually the spirit muttered, '**I know little about her, actually. Tamli would know more than I do about that but I can at least provide you with a name**.' Narssia growled softly in confirmation, wanting any information Finca might possibly be able to give her. '**Alright. Her name was Ilena, a she-dragon gifted with the element of shadow-welding . . .**'

"_Like yourself! So that confirms that my base element was never supposed to be-_"

'**Narssia, you were blessed to have a mixture of the two. You gained fire from the lineage of Nira, your ancestor and one of the Dark Dragons, while the craftiness of shadow came from your mother. These two elements blended together to form the blackened, shadowy fire that was your initial gift. Few dragons ever awaken their element within days of their hatching, as it usually takes months for them to unlock the gift inside, but you came from two powerful elemental lines . . .**'

With that, Narssia felt Finca leave and she hesitantly looked over at Geer to find his attention was focused on her. The words from the dead dragoness kept repeating in her mind as she stood up and slid out from under his wing, averting her gaze from the blind dragon as he got to his feet and folded the leathery appendage against his body. Despite what had been said about her courage, she still doubted herself and wondered why she even wanted to break free of Corruption in the first place. It had been so much stronger than her . . . so much so that Arxa seemed like a gift from the ancients at first until the real reason had made itself known to her. Even with all that she knew now, part of her still wanted to be back under the protection of the malicious spirit.

"_Narssia, talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind_," Geer softly growled as Narssia moved her tail to rest against her right hind leg.

"_Why don't you just pry the information out?_" She bitterly snapped back, turning her head to see him reluctantly sitting down on the floor. "_I'm sure the fellow dragons down here wouldn't mind getting to see me hurt._"

Geer snarled at her comment and Narssia snorted in amusement, turning her focus to her front claws as she silently felt the conflict within him over how best to respond to her truthful admittance of how she knew the other dragons viewed her. When he still had not replied after several minutes, she glanced back at him to see him carving into the rock under him with his claws. For some reason, the action soothed her and calmed her erratic fears over how she would be treated now with Corruption forced from her body.

"_While others may enjoy torturing you, I can honestly say that if I was given the chance, I wouldn't enjoy it_," Geer admitted quietly as Narssia lifted her tail and found her gaze and attention captured by him once again. "_You don't understand what it's like for me to go every single day without sight but, then again, I know how broken you are, Narssia. Nearly losing everything to the darkness . . . I can honestly relate to knowing that feeling. It is that connection, that understanding, that binds us together and I know you feel it inside just like I do. That pain and guilt you feel is a reminder of what has happened to you but you don't have to let it consume you. You're stronger than that, I know it._"

"_Geer, I-_" Narssia found herself at a loss for words as she listened to him speak about everything that had been weighing her down since she had awoken to find that Arxa no longer had control over her.

'**Weakling**,' the low raspy growl of Arxa rose within her mind, its sheer darkness, although not as powerful as it had been only days before, clouding her senses as Narssia trembled. '**You can't even defend yourself against the same blackness you thought you defeated. Even with your control over Corruption's magic, you're still no match for me. I only pretended to entertain the idea of us working together just so we could get close to Jormundur, although you know how that worked out. . .**'

"_She's back . . ._" Narssia whispered in disbelief. "_I don't understand how . . . I thought I killed her once I unleashed the might of Corruption upon the battlefield, destroying the clone army in the process as I channeled my emotions into a single feeling to take back what was mine . . ._"

Geer growled softly, concerned for her as he started to walk over but was stopped with a low hiss as Narssia lowered her head, quivering as bits of stone broke free from the floor and began to levitate in the air around her. Wisps of shadowy blackness rolled from her frame as she closed her eyes, feeling the fury of the one she thought she had defeated wash over her and battle against the frail defenses she had formed since her freedom from Corruption's influence only two days prior.

"_Stay back, Geer. I-I'm not sure what will happen. She's so much stronger than I thought she would be . . . It's all my fault for not destroying her while I could-_"

'**Yes**,' Arxa growled menacingly, cackling softly within their joined mind as Narssia's resolve began to fade. '**All of this occurred because you were weak . . . Everyone knows it, why not accept the truth? I could help you be free of the guilt, able to live a life worthy of what your rider would have wanted . . .**'

A snarl rose from her throat at hearing the mention of Vanz, her thoughts going back to how he had taught her to control the blackness within her, and Narssia opened her eyes. "_Your power is nothing but deceit and lies, Arxa_," she snarled. "_Vanz showed me how to harness the black magic within myself and cast out your wicked shadows. I don't need you trying to take back control over me to prove why I can overcome the darkness!_"

'**You consider destroying those abominations a path to your personal freedom? How pitiful**,' Arxa scoffed, snorting as Narssia growled softly in defeat and the floating rocks began to swirl around her.

Geer, oblivious to the situation Narssia found herself in, growled softly out of concern for the black she-dragon. "_Narssia, is something going on? Why is there silence between us? Have I done something to offend you?_"

"_That's not it, Geer. I-_"

'**She's distracted right now**,' Arxa remarked, cutting off Narssia as she projected the words into the blind's dragons mind.

The sharp growl that rose from Geer worried Narssia as she silently fretted over what Arxa had said to the dragon. Even with her senses tuned to the darkness of Corruption, she had no way of knowing what had been exchanged between the sightless scale-flier and her dark mind-invader. It worried her to think she would be abandoned by the one creature who had seen good in her since her reawakening following the collapse of the clone army.

"_Geer?_" She asked quietly, noticing for the first time the rocks swirling around her. "_Say something, please. Trust me when I say I never intended for her to come back . . ._"

Glancing at the blind dragon, Narssia realized Geer had turned his head away from her and she growled softly, fearing rejection. Minutes passed before the blue scale-flier finally looked her way but she closed her eyes, hearing more destructive taunts from Arxa as shadows enveloped her claws.

"_Narssia, I hate to admit this but you are no longer safe with me. Despite my best efforts, Corruption still has a hold on you._" Geer paused, walking over to her. "_I have heard that Nethial asked a dragon to come from the isle of Tel-var to join us in hopes of healing the wounded quicker. Since this is out of my level of understanding, I believe it would be wise for this newcomer to look you over. Is that agreeable?_"

"_I don't have a choice. Something has to be done to protect those that survived. Geer, you don't know how much I loathe myself for not having the strength to defend my mind and body from the blackness of Arxa . . ._"

'**Yes . . . that's it. Wallow in your miserable self-pity. See if Geer cares for you when you tell him how it makes you feel to know you're standing right next to the dragon that killed your son**,' Arxa snickered as Narssia flared her wings and closed her eyes, lifting herself off the ground with a few powerful wingbeats.

Geer unfolded a wing to shield himself from the gusts of wind, his snout lifting to face her as a low growl rose from his throat. "_Narssia, stop! You can fight her off as you did before-_"

"_There's no point!_" Narssia snapped back, snarling as a thin shadowy mist rose from within her body to surround her frame. "_I became weak after so long without having control. She knows that and no amount of resistance on my part is going to change it._"

"_There's still hope though. Please, keep fighting. If not for me then for all those that are still recovering from the conflict._"

Narssia hesitated, the shadows thickening around her body as she weighted the possible outcomes. Was Geer finally admitting that he felt something for her? She growled softly, opening her eyes slowly to see him being battered by the wind gusts she kept sending down. Even with his face shielded from the strong breeze, he still was focused on her and wanted to help her in any way he could.

A shrill shriek tore from her throat, her body convulsing as Narssia felt every part of Arxa's essence ram into her. Despite her limited control over the darkness, the amount she was confronted with was beyond her expectations. The dark presence was back with a vengeance, wanting nothing but revenge for what she had tried to do to remove its influence from her permanently.

Her body flailing about wildly, Narssia knew instantly she was falling back onto the ground but she could do nothing to fold in her wings and protect them from the impact. The area between her shoulders met the stone floor first, followed by her left wing which twisted painfully as the rest of her frame collapsed onto the cold surface. Barely conscious, Narssia heard Geer advancing towards her but tried desperately to make him stop. Between Arxa's revenge on her and her still convulsing frame, she knew if he approached then he might get injured because of her.

"_Narssia, I can't get any closer. I'm going to find the new dragon and see if he had be of any help_," Geer growled, the sound of his voice seeming far away as Narssia struggled to remain conscious.

Every part of her throbbed painfully as she lay there waiting for Geer to return after he had left to get help. She could sense the convulsions were slowly easing up but it made the experience no less horrible for her to endure. Any control she thought she had was gone while her body quivered and seized up, the sensation reminding her of how it had felt to be a prisoner in her own body once Arxa had taken over. Narssia was surprised though that the dark presence hadn't spoken up about the events, having expected a sharp remark about her new feelings for Geer.

Despite her attempts to stay conscious until Geer had returned, Narssia succumbed to the extent of her new wounds and exhausted body and faded into blissful unawareness . . .


	68. Emotional Scars

**Chapter 68-Emotional Scars**

A soft blue light illuminated the room as a white dragon opened its teal irises. Having been moved so that more wounded dragons could be healed, Tyst groggily lifted his head and searched the area around him for his sister Malie. If he hadn't been so trusting of the psychotic clone Tanui, their parents wouldn't be dead now. Fixating his gaze on her gray scales, he growled softly to let her know he was awake.

"_How do you feel, brother?_" She asked as her crisp, sapphire blue irises looked him over.

"_I've been better . . ._" He muttered, noticing her attention drifting away from him. "_What is it?_"

"_I've been worried . . . The infection was worse than predicted and I thought you might not survive._" Malie turned her head away, quivering slightly. "_I can't bare to lose you. After what happened with mom and dad, I . . ._"

Growling softly in comfort, Tyst unfolded a wing and motioned for her to join him, understanding her fear was only to be expected after what they had been through. He suspected he might have seen her distress sooner had the infection not set in and dulled his senses. Once her scaled hide rested against his own, he draped his wing over her and hummed quietly.

"_I know the past few days have been a scary time for you, little sister_," he growled. "_In truth, I was scared too. It was unnerving to not know if the infection had become too great to combat . . ._"

A low growl rose into the air, bringing with it a voice that Tyst dimly recognized. '**Despite that, you survived against all odds. You should be proud of that, my son.**'

"_Son? I was raised by the dragons Rados and Roylezn. Show yourself!_"

'**I would if it were possible. The dragons who raised you were instructed to do so by me. My son took you under his wing and taught you all you know, while Roylezn provided additional resources to aid in your growth.**' The spirit paused, allowing Tyst a moment to growl softly at what he was hearing. '**I am the shadow-walker Finca, offspring of the Great Protector Mirage, and the one who laid the egg that contained you. Unfortunately for us, the recent conflict with dark forces resulted in my death. As it is now, this is the only way I can talk to you.**'

Malie lifted her head, irises sparkling as she nuzzled her brother. "_You mean you're one of the original dragons from back when our kind was in paradise? How did you survive for that long? Mother said few managed to escape the conflict-_"

'**My spirit broken, I fled from the city a few years after my rider vanished. He had a son with the woman who brought you both here and every time I looked at him I saw Tamli. I did not fight in the war to save our home but I know some who did and survived, only to die during the thousands of years that passed while the bloody conflict continued.**' Finca sighed, hesitating before she spoke once more. '**Tyst, is it? When I asked Rados to accept your egg, I never dreamed that he would be killed by a clone of my mate. Seeing you now brings a sense of joy to me in the midst of our tragic time . . .**'

"_If you are my mother, why did you let me be raised by my own sibling? I thought of him as my father and Roylezn as my mother for years! Now you come and tell me that I'm not their son_," Tyst snarled, looking down at the floor as Malie tried to comfort him.

"_Fath- I mean Rados told us that Finca was attacked some time after giving him an egg. I assume your injuries were too severe to check on him afterwards, correct?_" Malie inquired.

'**As was the case, youngling. I was forced to abandon your sibling as well due to my injuries. By the time I was healed, I found myself in a position of power within the Compound and thus could not seek either of you out to learn of your fates . . .**'

Tyst lifted his gaze, the tip of his tail twitching. "_You mentioned a sibling? Who is it? Can I see him?_"

'**What you call a male is actually a female. So yes, my child, you can certainly meet her. Verdra, would you please join us**,' Finca hummed as a black dragoness entered into the room, her purple irises sparkling with wonder.

"_When I heard the news that you had died, mother, I wasn't expecting for you to be able to communicate with us so clearly and so quickly after the event . . ._" Verdra paused, glancing at Tyst and Malie. "_And who are they?_"

"_Apparently you and Tyst are siblings_," Malie informed her as Verdra walked over to them. "_My name's Malie, now the only offspring of Rados and human-turned-dragon Roylezn Ricata._"

'**I've known this for some time but feared if I mentioned it I would never get to see what became of the egg I gave to Rados**,' Finca commented, watching as Verdra hesitantly nuzzled her brother.

"_You worried the grey dragon that attacked you, who I later discovered was the brother of the dragon that became my mate, would go and destroy all of them because he failed to kill you?_" Verdra questioned as Malie closed her eyes, lowering her head down to the stone underneath.

'**Yes . . .**' Finca hissed as Tyst heard the metallic click of Nethial's footsteps coming towards them.

"_Did you ask for her to come?_" He inquired as Malie trembled under his wing.

'**No. Why would I? She's brought nothing but trouble here since she showed up. While she brought you two with her, she is the one that set Tanui free during the battle so he could exact the highest level of pain and misery on my mate.**'

Tyst growled softly, noticing the venom in Finca's voice. It made sense from the way she talked that she was distrusting of Nethial but the woman had saved his life. Unsure of whether to voice his opinion or not, he snarled as Malie pulled away from under his wing and stood up, sensing fear in her mind as he briefly touched her consciousness to make sure she wasn't hurt.

"Sorry I haven't come to see how you're doing-"

Before any of the three could act, Nethial was thrown forward and slammed into a wall before being turned around. Tyst suspected Malie had already sensed it was going to happen due to her unique connection to the world around her. Roylezn had considered her gifted but, at the time, he hadn't understood why. Now he realized she possessed a gift from the ancients that few dragons knew anything about.

"_What do you sense, sister?_" He asked, still unable to forsake his connection with the dragoness he had grown up beside.

Malie shuddered, retreating a step. "_Finca carries many ill-conceived grudges in her heart, most of them directed towards the one that saved you_."

* * *

><p>Nethial struggled to get her breath back after being slammed against a wall as forcefully as she had. She sensed Finca's hatred for her just rolling off the she-dragon's essence, the sensation reminding her of how Corruption's energy acted. Panting, she braced a hand against the wood closest to her as her gaze flickered to the three dragons still inside the room. Malie was still quivering but Nethial could sense an odd energy around the small dragon that made her think of what she knew of oracles. The dragon Jhira had been one during her time spent in paradise but the scale-flier before her was not a descendant of the Siren Seer.<p>

'**Monster!**' Finca seethed. '**Did you not think I was unable to sense what you were planning to do? I lost Tamli for many moons . . . and now you think that because of my new state you can just slip back into his life and claim him as your own once more. I will _never_ have that happen!'**

"Finca, listen to me. I-" Nethial started to try and make the irritate she-dragon spirit understand but the scale-flier interrupted her with a low snarl.

'**No excuses! Just because he was your first love you feel like it is fine to take him back from me now after what has happened. You were the one that released Tanui from imprisonment . . . You caused the psychotic clone to target me as his final act of malice against the dragon-human hybrid I chose as my mate!**' Finca snarled as Nethial felt something wrap around her metal legs.

Still trying to reason with Finca, Nethial snapped back, "I did not force Tanui to go after you, Finca! He made that decision himself following the death of the two-"

Roaring in anger, Finca cut off Nethial once more as she extended binding cords of her essence to wrap around the woman's arms and chest as she had already done with the artificial limbs. '**Just because the clone killed the first offspring I had with Tamli and its mate, a human-turned-dragon descendant of the Nekita line, does not give you the right to justify why it turned its attention to me**.'

"Finca, please, listen to your own words!" Nethial cried as the wisps of spiritual energy around her limbs began to emit a pulsating current that burned her skin and flickered across her legs. "Your behavior towards me and unwillingness to let Tamli go is exactly why the Order of the Protectors failed back in paradise once Vanz assumed the throne. All the inner fighting and violence made the hearts of the people turn bitter and distrustful of everything . . . Even the peace with the dragons which had been fought so hard to establish was nearly torn apart. For the first time since we had found understanding with the scale-fliers, they turned on us and we against them. Bonded dragons were seen as traitors to the wild members of their race and encouraged to break the bond that held them to the weak humans they had once put their hope in . . . Such was the collapse of our society and I remember every part of the dark days leading up to the Battle of Corruption . . ." She paused for a moment, closing her eyes as she lifted her hand away from the wood. "What I am trying to say is that I seek no claim on Tamli . . ."

'**Why not?**' Finca hissed as Nethial cringed, feeling the odd power increase in intensity and become more painful. '**There is nothing stopping you from trying to take him back now**.'

"You heard about my fall from grace, I assume. That I embraced dark powers best left unspoken . . . and how I lost my relationship with Raoul gradually over time until everything crumbled the moment when I tried to choke him to death," Nethial admitted, understanding slowly that her confession was the first time she had ever truthfully revealed the reason for why her own child had turned against her.

"_She tells the truth, certainly you can see that_," Tyst growled in agreement with Nethial's words, trying to help her in getting Finca to understand.

'**I . . . I am acting as if I was a hatchling once more**,' Finca whispered as Nethial felt the cords dissolve into nothing and she breathed a sigh of relief. '**Tyst, you don't know what I have been through to get to this point. I have been the vessel for two different spirits, had numerous offspring over the years, and yet I still feel as if Nethial is here to reclaim what was hers to begin with. It was only after her death and the end of Amia's unholy project that Tamli and I even started to consider a relationship between us. I gave him time to grieve and make his decision-**'

"You didn't give him a choice," Nethial interrupted, opening her eyes back up to see that she had gotten Verdra's attention with her statement. "I may have still been a spirit then but I kept watch on Tamli over the years. It was the only thing I could do other than linger in a semi-conscious state while waiting for Corruption to decide my fate for how I acted when I tried to turn against it."

"_Mother, listen to reason. While I understand your connection to Tamli to some degree, I believe Nethial is correct. Your refusal to let him go is preventing both of you from moving on_." Verdra snorted, the look in her eyes reminding Nethial of the fact that even she was affected by the death of white dragoness.

"_Verdra is right_," Malie added, opening her eyes as Nethial noticed her trembling had ceased. "_I sense much heartache and sorrow within you, Finca. The death of Rados's siblings was but one step towards your attitude of resentfulness towards the resurrected former-rider Nethial. Having Tamli taken from you and forced to watch his slow death from a disease you could do nothing to treat only increased your desire to ensure he would be yours forever_-"

Finca's raspy hiss signaled her displeasure with how true Malie was at revealing the problem but, after the interruption by the irritate spirit, the dragoness continued, "_Having been the host for both the Protector Makiar and doomed spirit Szara, Tamli's own mother, you knew from each of them what it felt like to lose someone you cared deeply about but nothing prepared you for the crushing blow of his death. Your recklessness afterwards proved how much you suffered without him, even going so far as to give up one of your own eggs to be watched over by the surviving son you had with Tamli. Following the attack on your life by Jormundur, you claim you were too injured to go search for Verdra's egg or to see how Rados was doing raising his own sibling, yet after you were healed and rested from the encounter you failed to act because you were simply scared of what you would find. While hiding here in these dark tunnels like a coward, you were approached with offers of being in powerful positions, but you denied such requests and tried everything to get away from the painful memories of losing the only one you ever felt truly comfortable around . . ._"

"Finca," Nethial commented, gently easing away from the wall, "you know from Mirage that I loathed Tamli after he left once my grief at never seeing him again had passed. Once Corruption found me and I willingly submitted to its dark powers, I discovered that deep in my heart I wanted nothing more than to see him suffer for what he had done by leaving me unclaimed and pregnant. I had always thought he would be my future husband but during the years following my death, as my mind slowly began to break apart, my thoughts of him turned to nothing but malice and hatred. The more time I spent thinking of him, the greater my desire for vengeance became until I lost all sanity and was later revived into a world vastly different from how I had left it." Clenching a hand, Nethial forced herself to keep her breathing steady as she heard Tyst growl uneasily.

"I honestly don't remember much of the first few moments of my restored life," she admitted as she continued. "There was panic at first for being able to breathe again after thousands of years, but I somehow forced myself to crawl until I found a small cave as if only to give me a feeling of familiarity. In the time I spent as a spirit, I had nothing to do or see and simply existed in a realm of bleakness and vast emptiness. This was why I found the dark area and isolated myself in it, hoping to be left alone with my broken thoughts. When Narssia came to me, I was severely dehydrated and nearing hysteria but one look at the black dragoness was all that it took to get my scattered attention focused on her. It wasn't until dark mist was seeping from my body and my limbs felt as if they were on fire that I noticed for the first time how her eyes had changed to vast pools of blank whiteness. By the time Corruption's energy and essence was drained from my body, I was already about to pass out but then Arxa had to make herself known to me by entering my fragile mind and ripping everything she could find into shreds only to cover her own tracks should I have been discovered. My sanity lost, I dimly stared after her as she turned and left, finding out later that she carried me to the dark underground of her cavern hours later once I had fallen unconscious.

"The seven years I spent down there seemed to be ages to my broken mind. I always hid from the clones as best I could and quickly learned the layout of the underground passageways. Even with the damage that had been done, I was still fast on my feet and occasionally shattered fragments of memories would come to me as if only to taunt me over my condition. I rediscovered my festering hate for Tamli after one such event and turned my efforts to learning just what the creatures that resembled him were doing. It didn't take long for me to realize they were not the hybrid I had loved - despite how similar they appeared to how he had looked when he left me - but I soon grew too fragile to care if they indeed saw me. With my limited periods of sanity, I quickly neglected to provide for my fully fleshed body and found myself taken care of by the spawn-clones of the man I had loved but now loathed." Glancing at Verdra, Nethial saw surprise and extreme interest lingering in the she-dragon's eyes as she paused to gather her thoughts. "The copies ensured I was provided with food and water but I made the choice to continue my isolation from them as best I could. I never spoke, fearing what nonsense I would utter that might give away my identity to them, and only fell deeper into madness. My exploration of the cave system eventually lead me to a small chamber that seemed perfectly built for a fire and so I created one for my own benefit, although I can say it hardly proved me with anything other than a place to scar my arms and chest with large burns . . ."

"_You mean you inflicted the burns on yourself? Why would you do such a thing?_" Tyst growled as Malie hummed in agreement.

"Insanity, little one, makes even the most simplest of objects become a weapon if the deranged individual is willing to use it," Nethial replied, lowering her head in shame as she averted her gaze. "Every burn made the pain of my situation a little easier to accept. I was alone, both mentally and physically. There were several times that Arxa visited me, strictly to get questions answered, but I had nothing I could tell her. How could I tell her of the darkness when I barely even knew who I was or how its very power had broken me to my core?"

'**Why did you allow her to meet with you after what happened upon your rebirth? Corruption was always a threat to you with how long you were exposed to it**.' For the first time since Nethial had begun to reveal most of how her life had turned for the worst, Finca spoke with such a softness to her voice that rattled the former rider who had not intended for the spirit to enter the conversation.

"I realize now just how much of a risk I was in during the times she would visit but, back then, I cared little for the interaction and only wanted to remain in her presence as little as possible," Nethial sighed as she raised her head back up and took a hesitant step forward. "My isolation from the clones proved useful when Tanui was first brought in by a number of them. I was able to determine that they had found him unconscious but my attention, however, was quickly diverted to the white fledgling that followed along behind them and continued to keep an eye on the hybrid-"

"_Ladetis stayed that close to Tanui's side?_ _Even after what the clone had done to him, done to us?_" Verdra questioned, head lifting a few inches as she took a step forward out of curiosity.

Nethial briefly glanced down at her metal legs to remind herself that the wound to them she had gotten during the fighting had been fixed. "From how I understand it, Tanui was how Ladetis made sense of the violent attack that left only him out of the three hatchlings surviving. He may have blamed the clone hybrid for the act but I saw little of any fighting between them. The only time I ever noticed it was when Tanui stepped in to save my life from his own irritate dragon . . ."

'**The beginning of you getting your metallic legs**,' Finca hummed, almost amused as Nethial crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.

"I still can't understand why Ladetis went after me of all people but I soon found myself running for my life from a very irritated poison-spitting dragonet. Unfortunately for me, one of my legs got caught in a decaying bit of tree bark and the white fledgling caught up faster than I had anticipated. The next thing I knew, my body was completely numb in shock and Tanui was standing directly in front of me like a shield, mentally snapping at the bonded dragon over how it behaved. I felt right then that I had never known such bravery and began to become interested in the spawn-clone while trying to avoid him noticing." Sighing again, Nethial let one arm drop to place her palm on her abdomen. "If only I had known back then where that path would lead me . . ."

Closing her eyes once more, Nethial sensed Finca quietly touch her mind and then retreat, leaving her alone to her own thoughts. Telling Tamli had been the right thing to do but after how Finca had reacted when she had entered to check on Tyst . . . Hesitating, she wondered whether to tell those present in the room about her love making with Tanui in Tel-var following her reconstruction by Cambre. Based upon how her initial reveal had been perceived, the thought of having Finca more irritated with her made Nethial uneasy to say anything else.

Still torn over whether to reveal her condition to the dragons presently among her, Nethial opened her eyes to see Malie nod her head ever so slightly. Taking the sign as an indication she should admit to her pregnancy, she cleared her throat and collected her hands behind her back, feeling her palms clammy and moist. For once she was glad that her legs were no longer flesh but instead metal, otherwise they would have been shaking severely, Nethial silently mused as she paused just briefly enough to attract the attention of the three dragons and Finca.

"I never told anyone about what happened after my restoration on Tel-var by the healer Cambre. There was no reason to bring it up, especially with Tanui's deterioration soon afterwards. Yet I suspected something odd only after a month had passed, although most of that time had been spent healing both physical and emotional wounds from his sudden attack on me . . ."

"_The clone lost control before? What did you do to provoke him?_" Tyst questioned, lifting his head as he narrowed his eyes.

"I was not the trigger that set him off, Tyst," Nethial corrected, worried for a moment that she had been too quick to rectify his error. "I don't even know what prompted him to go after me. One minute we were talking and the next he had me in a telekinetic choke hold - similar to the one I once held Raoul in while we still lived in paradise."

"_Brother, you do realize you started that incident, right? You provoked him after Mother- I mean Roylezn told us he needed his rest_," Malie hummed softly, glaring at him before her attention returned to Nethial. "_Please continue Nethial_."

"Until I was healed, I had forgotten what it was like to be caressed by another. Granted, my body had not failed to remember the sensation but with my memories so fractured, I had no prior mental knowledge of how the experience felt. Every time Tanui touched me it seemed like there were thousands of words unspoken between us with even the lightest of brushes against my skin. Upon my recovery, we jointly embraced the new feelings that could be freely shared between us and-"

'**You made love to him**,' Finca snorted, less than amused as a low growl followed after her words. '**Yet from what I have heard, the clones were designed to be sterile. That is correct, is it not?**'

"Most of them were but Amia had high hope for Tanui and allowed it possible for him to take a mate and produce offspring," Nethial whispered, realizing that Finca had been blatantly outright with her and instantly knew that the dragoness had already caught on to what she was trying to explain.

'**So you come before us to admit that you are carrying the offspring of the cloned hybrid lunatic that ended my very life? I knew I should have just killed you to begin with**,' Finca snarled as Nethial was flung backwards and slammed back into the wall she had begun to move away from.

"_Mother, let her go!_" Verdra growled, taking a step forward. "_Tanui is dead now . . . You're dead now_."

'**But the child is not**,' Finca snapped back as Nethial felt a sharp blow of pressure to her chest and she began to feel unstable on her own feet. '**If we allow this . . . this thing to live, imagine the danger you all are in. Its father destroyed hundreds of lives and its mother interfered with just as many through her annoying habit of not knowing when to stay out of things beyond her control**.'

"_That does not mean that the child will turn out the same way_," Tyst snarled in agreement with Verdra. "_Look how I turned out. I was raised by own brother but never knew it until after he died, yet did that harm my development in any way? I think not_."

"_Finca, listen to the cries of your children. I know I am not one of them but am, instead, a blood descendant of yours through the dragon Rados. While you fear for the safety of your offspring, allow me to shed some light on how this unborn child is not a threat._"

As black spots began to dance before her eyes, Nethial noticed Malie had lowered her head and slight tremors ran across the body of the gray dragonet. Apparently the plea from the young dragoness had at least reasoned with Finca, Nethial assumed as she fought for a breath. Several minutes passed before the screech of metal resounded through the room and the former rider could only watch as dozens of tiny tears began to appear all over her metal legs.

Determined to keep a calm composure, Nethial stayed silent as several large pieces of metal were ripped completely off their structure and fell to the floor, revealing delicate inner wiring that was connected to a central thick cable which traveled from her foot up to her hip where it met actual flesh. More large gashes scored her artificial limb but she continued to not make a sound, noticing how the three dragons seemed to be amazed at her ability to ensure such humiliation.

'**I can easily rip you to shreds**,' Finca snarled darkly as another piece of metal covering broke off and fell onto the floor below with a loud clang.

"_Do not make another move_."

The voice with its low, raspy growl quickly made sense to Nethial as white scales flickered across her limited field of vision. Purple irises scanned the room briefly as the scale-flier entered and Verdra immediately turned around to face the hybrid as it had taken its dragon forme. Even Malie and Tyst lowered their heads out of respect as a soft snarl rose from the creature as it calmly walked past them.

'**Why even come?**' Finca hissed as Nethial fought to move a hand to place it on the closest piece of wood nearest her for stability. '**I have seen you interact with her and you act as if she is nothing to you anymore. She set the lunatic free to allow him to kill me, Tamli**.'

Tamli was hesitant to respond, something Nethial picked up on as the room seemed to swirl into a vast mix of colors. "_I realize that my involvement puzzles you but your appearance has rattled me from the moment I first sensed it. With the darkness of Corruption defeated and the clone army reduced to dust, I had hoped your spirit could find peace but I see now that is not the case. Nethial knew what she was doing because she did it out of love for him-_"

'**Love for the clone that killed me . . . Tamli, love, I can't believe you take her side over mine. Look at all we've been through. How does that compare in the least to what she did? I will say it again: she let Tanui escape so he could kill me.**'

"_As you were quick to point out, it was her death that made me grow closer to you and allowed us to develop the relationship we had. All I ask from you is that you remember our own struggles and that you leave her be._"

The faint snarl from Finca that filled the room after Tamli spoke sounded unnaturally high-pitched to her ears as Nethial closed her eyes and collapsed to the floor, blacking out even as the deceased dragoness reluctantly set her free from the vast mental hold that had been placed on her in a fit of rage . . .


	69. Dark Destiny

**Chapter 69-Dark Destiny**

Narssia felt tired when she finally regained consciousness, although the area she was met with was not the same location as where she had collapsed. The vast expanse that greeted her was a muted grey color and seemed to stretch on until the horizon in every direction, leaving her very uneasy about where she currently was and why Geer was not with her. It was only minutes later that a cool breeze against her scales revealed to her exactly where she was and the thought terrified her as her claws dug into the sand-like terrain underneath. The inner depths of her mind had always been the dwelling place of Arxa and she had accepted that, choosing to leave it alone as best she could. Now with the environment around her so lacking in color, she knew that she had been drawn into the domain of the dark presence by some unfamiliar force.

'**It didn't take you long to realize your location**,' Arxa hissed slowly as Narssia retreated a step and flared out her wings, knowing that the terrain was unfamiliar to her as it belonged to the dark essence which had invaded her mind and taken over.

'**_Why am I here? Arxa, answer me!_**' Narssia snarled as the malicious spirit shrieked in delight, the wind increasing in strength and power as it rushed past her.

'**You are here to fulfill a promise**,' the vengeful spirit hummed as unease caused Narssia to move around slightly. '**A promise made even before your conception, dear one. It was written in the very stars that from the lineage of the Dark Dragon Nira would come one whose heart was so black that even the very essence of darkness would bow down before it and obey any command given.**'

'**_What does that have to do with me? My heart was never-_**'

Arxa's shrill hiss interrupted Narssia as the black essence slowly began to rise up from the ground in the form of a thick green mist. '**It has everything to do with you, my host. From the moment you were hatched by Vanz, darkness was already seeping into your body and influencing your thoughts. Why else would you try to seek a relationship with Mirage? He was a dragon born thousands of years before you came to be, yet you felt it acceptable to go after him as your mate . . . We both know how worked out, don't we?**'

'**_It was the work of an unhinged revived Protector_**,' Narssia whispered, lowering her head as she sensed what Arxa would naturally bring up next.

'**But what about your own precious rider? He, too, was killed in cold blood by the same dragoness. Your killing of Meta was all your own, Narssia. While you try and act as if I was already in control by that point, you and I both know that you were the one who slaughtered an innocent fellow scale-flier. If anyone should be blamed for the murders I committed while you were my host, then should it not be your fault? I was, after all, only using your fangs and claws as my own weapons . . .**'

Narssia was momentarily taken back by the statement. She had feared that very same result ever since she took back control of her body after seeing how the other dragons acted towards her. Those that had fought against her would be thrilled to place the blame solely on her head alone while ignoring the fact that Arxa ever existed separate from herself. Even Tamli would be likely to be swayed against her once he discovered just how much she had partnered with Amia during the cloning project. Closing her eyes, bitter tears dripped down her scaled cheeks as a mocking laugh from the dark spirit rattled her further.

'**_When Vanz died, I did nothing to prevent it from happening. With Mirage, I was gleefully ignorant of what had been done until later. Of all that I have seen and witnessed in the years since my hatching, you are by far the worst individual to have ever come into my life. I was just starting to cope with their deaths when you first came to me, told me lies just so I would accept you as being my equal. Once you forced me to seek out Nethial upon her revival into our land, I knew then I was dealing with a presence far more powerful than I had expected. I tried to fight back but you had gained so much influence and power by then that my attempts failed to even faze you . . ._**'

'**Narssia**,' Arxa hummed, the green mist of her true physical form pulsating slightly as it gathered together. '**I am not the enemy. As I told you many times before, it is those who reject Corruption's gift that are our foes-**'

Snarling, Narssia reopened her eyes as smoke drifted from her nostrils. '**_That's not the truth! You are nothing but an embodiment of Corruption's malice and darkness used to turn me back into its grasp, Arxa. I embraced its power selflessly when Vanz was my partner but I have since made peace with my past actions and vowed never to become that desperate ever again! No matter what you say or do to me, I will no longer depend upon that black magic to sustain me, even if the price I must pay is my very soul._**'

It took Arxa several minutes to find a respond to what Narssia had said, allowing the dragoness time to try and find the peace Windra had asked of her during her time spent in the past so she could tap into Corruption's dark powers without putting herself at risk of falling under its influence once again. From her point of view, there was nothing the malicious essence could take from her that would force her back into the oppressive control of the black magic that had ruled much of her life. The time for her to fight back was upon her and she had to make a final stand if only to protect those that had never given up hope that she could be redeemed and set free.

'**You mentioned that I could do nothing to you, yet you failed to include those two precious new descendants of yours. Certainly you realize I can take them from you . . . isolate you back in the darkness where you belong. Vanz was a fool to think you could be trusted, even I saw that back before I revealed myself to you.**' Arxa snarled, allowing the mist to rise up and take a dragon-like form nearly identical to Narssia's own. '**All I have to do is threaten the eggs and you'll come crawling back to me, begging for mercy. For such a dragon that claims to be independent, you certainly rely on others quite frequently . . .**'

Despite herself, Narssia could not control the sharp hiss that rose from her throat at the mention of Arxa harming the eggs. They were the only things that enabled her to continue a connection to her dead rider. Even with the unnatural method of mating, given that Vanz had been dead and restored to life with a dragon body only to protect her from the darkness her past self had descended into, it still gave her hope to see those two glistening eggshells and realize she had a reason to continue to fight against the blackness which had invaded her very soul.

'**_You wouldn't dare to harm them!_**' Narssia feebly growled, retreating several steps as the dark mist-dragon opened its eyes to reveal vast pools of blank whiteness that sent chills down her spine. '**_You were the one in control when they were laid. I heard the tenderness in your normally coarse voice as you spoke to me of them. Hurting them would hurt you, Arxa._**'

The embodiment of Arxa snorted, taking a step forward as its long tail curved around from behind it, a large plate of metal taking up much of the creature's tail as a wide groove appeared cut away from it to make it resemble a scythe. '**What are you muttering about? I told you that I only decided to make it seem like we were finally getting along just to get closer to Jormundur so I could turn him completely over to Corruption's darkness-**'

'**_Yet you were unhappy when he attacked us_**,' Narssia snapped back, letting a soft snarl rise from her throat.'**_You shrieked in anger and rage, chiding him for delving deeper into the black magic than he was supposed to go. I know I should have seen your betrayal coming but I honestly thought things were getting better between us . . ._**'

'**It is the way of the darkness to twist the mind of their host. Nearly all the things Vanz did were done because he thought it was helping those around him. Why else would paradise have been lost? He trusted the power of the magic he was bestowed with, unlike you.**'

Arxa growled, urging the black mist to break apart and form two separate dragons as she used the creations to attack Narssia from different sides. Body quivering, Narssia threw herself into the air to avoid the first one, balancing herself as her tail smacked the second shadowy scale-flier to the ground where it shattered and returned to being mist before vanishing back into the grey ground. Hearing the initial mist beast snarl as it tried to lunge at her again, she opened her maw to send down a burst of fire but the creature surprised her by biting down on her tail and throwing her onto the pale earth.

Pain radiating from her entire body as she struggled back to her feet, Narssia wearily blinked before going on the retreat as the shadowy mist snapped at her and charged forwards. Sharp teeth met tough scales as the creature tried to go for her neck but was met with a scaled shoulder instead, although the action left the black dragoness winded as something within the bleak environment felt as if it was sapping her strength. Knocking the beast back with a blow from her tail, she heard it shriek before dissolving into black mist and seeping into the ground.

Confused, she glanced around to ensure she was again alone before breathing a sigh of relief. Whatever was making her weaker seemed to be affecting Arxa's abilities as well, although she had never seen the dark essence make such creatures before during her time as its host. It seemed that certain things were only created far away from her own eyes, she surmised as a shrill hiss from the black spirit which had claimed her as its host put her on edge.

'**_Arxa, are you behind this odd sensation of weakness that I've been experiencing?_**' Narssia asked as she sensed the irritated dark presence nearby, realizing it had used the conflict to hide from her.

'**I am certainly not**,' Arxa snapped back as Narssia gingerly stepped to the side, feeling a steady throb of pain start in her shoulder from where the mist dragon had tried to attack her neck.

* * *

><p>Tamli didn't hesitate long as he saw Nethial collapse to the ground, brushing past Finca's essence to go tenderly lift the unconscious woman onto his back. He snarled softly at his formerly bonded mate before taking the mother of his firstborn down to see Aurelia, hoping she wasn't severely hurt by what had been done. If he had only sensed what had been going on sooner then perhaps she wouldn't be in the situation she was now . . .<p>

"_Tamli?_"

It took Tamli several seconds to realize Geer was also waiting on Aurelia's aid, although he wasn't sure exactly why the blind dragon would need to seek out their healer. Pushing the thought away for the moment, he was about to move past the unseeing scale-flier when he sensed a brief flicker of panic cross the mind of the one who had called out to him.

"_What are you doing down here? I thought you were with Narssia, Geer_," Tamli growled as the sensation of panic again touched his own thoughts and he realized this time it hadn't come from the blind dragon standing in front of him.

"_That's the reason why I'm here. She- Arxa came back and Narssia went crazy-_"

Snorting in amusement at how Geer had phrased it, Tamli tentatively brushed his mind against Nethial's as he wanted to confirm for himself that she was still alive and that the life she carried inside wasn't harmed. "_Define crazy, Geer. We've seen odd things before, remember? I doubt this could top anything you've heard about me._"

"_When Narssia was fighting Arxa's returning presence, bits of stone from the floor rose up into the air. I could sense that they gave off wisps of black magic . . . Corruption's magic, Tamli._"

"_You mean Narssia was unsuccessful in destroying Corruption's link to her?" _Tamli asked softly as he glanced past Geer to see that in the room behind the blind dragon lay Narssia, her unconscious form twitching as black mist occasionally cloaked her darkened scales. "_Have you told Sitedal what happened?_"

Geer growled as smoke rose from his nostrils. "_No, he's still heavily injured last I checked. It would do him no good in his current condition to know that his mother is still unable to free herself from the darkness._"

"_You have a point_," Tamli muttered as he noticed Aurelia enter from a back passageway to check on Narssia. "_Excuse me for a moment, Geer_."

Moving past the blind dragon, Tamli approached Aurelia as he noticed the mist around Narssia's body flicker slightly and felt a twinge of pain echo out from the weakened dragoness. With several scratches on her arms and her hair tied back into a ponytail, their main healer angrily wiped away sweat from her brow and took a step back just before he growled softly to inform her that he requested her presence. As he waited for her to acknowledge she had heard him, he noticed her usual white shirt and black pants were stained with splatters of blood and the sight reminded him of how he had first seen Tanui after the insane clone had taken Finca from him.

"What can I do for you?" Aurelia questioned without turning to face him, although her voice showed how weak she still was after giving birth and then having to treat the injured without being given much time to recover.

"_If it is of no inconvenience, Aurelia, I would like for you to examine Nethial. Finca recently took out her long-held aggression on the former rider and I want to ensure that she is relatively unharmed from the event._" Tamli willingly chose to leave out the detail that Nethial was pregnant, seeing as Aurelia had no need of knowing currently that their most recent addition to the Compound's human members was carrying the offspring of the most dangerous clone.

"Given that Dhran is currently watching Nathan, I think I spare a few minutes to look her over."

Curiosity perked Tamli's interest as she led him to an isolated corner of the room where he could lay down Nethial, finally prompting him to ask why she had called Nathaniel by a shortened version of his name. Laughing quietly, Aurelia replied that it was simply to save time as she helped him move the injured woman onto a small cot that had been emptied of its prior inhabitant. Once the former rider was safety on the white material, Tamli stepped back to allow their healer to examine Nethial's current condition.

Other than Narssia, Nethial was the only other inhabitant in the room, both unconscious as Tamli felt another sting of pain ripple out to him from the black dragoness. There were several other similar sized cots as the one the dragon was on thrown against one of the walls but most of the space had been cleared to make room for larger medical equipment. Glancing back at Geer for a moment, a sense of worry and unease reached Tamli as he realized slowly that the blind dragon had begun to fall in love with Narssia and wondered if the dragoness felt the same way about the scale-flier that once been partnered to him.

" . . . Tamli? I need you to focus here. Why didn't you tell me she was pregnant?"

"_It was not necessary for you to know as I only wished for you to examine her and determine how severe any injuries might be_," he raspily snarled in reply, attention returning to the woman he had loved once as Raoul's warning from when she had first come to the Compound resounded in his head.

"I would say that is something important I should know," Aurelia snapped back, glaring at him as she went to check on Narssia once more. "Not that I have any say in it but is it-"

"_It's not mine. We might share similar genes but that life she is carrying inside is not from me._" Letting a low growl punctuate the end of his words, Tamli turned to return to Geer's side, only to be stopped by Aurelia.

"What do you mean it has similar genes? Are you hiding something else from me now . . . ?" She paused for a second, realization coming over her as Tamli was certain he could see what little color she had drain from her face. "You mean that thing is . . . is his? She's carrying that psycho copy's child?"

Sighing, Tamli lowered his head as he realized he had to inform her on all she had missed recently. Her delivery of Nathaniel into the world had severely limited her interaction with the dragons of the Compound and the fight against Corruption had not helped her recover that lost time.

"_The majority of the clones were created to be sterile, except for Tanui. He was deemed the prize achievement of Amia's work and, as such, the demented grief-stricken former rider made it possible for him to engage in intercourse. I am unaware of how exactly Nethial made love to him but from my best guess, she isn't even two months along yet . . . However I fear things may not progress smoothly for her . . ._"

"What do you mean? You said the clone was capable of passing along its genes so what is there to be worried about?"

Lifting his head back to its regular height, Tamli made eye contact with Aurelia as he growled softly in warning. "_There is a reason why there is only one known true human-dragon hybrid in existence, Aurelia. Other than the vast differences in size between the two species, it comes down to how much the child reflects its more savage half. Dragons are usually only gravid for a month or two before laying their eggs while humans such as yourself are pregnant for nine months._" He briefly glanced at Nethial's unconscious frame, wishing she didn't have to go through the pain the next few months would bring her. "_Because of this, the offspring grow quickly and are fully developed and ready for birth by about four to five months. Any visible signs of the pregnancy begin shortly once the carrier of the hybrid fetus is about two months along, which Nethial is almost at that stage. Due to the fact that dragon offspring create eggshells around themselves to protect and further develop, the human blood within the young often cancels that instinct out, although it does bring along certain unpleasant experiences as a consequence . . ._"

"What kind of unpleasant experiences? Also, how do you know so much about this? I thought that there were no records on your birth . . ." Pulling on the piece of string that held her hair up in a ponytail to ensure it would hold properly, Aurelia seemed interested in his knowledge as she stopped midway between the two injured individuals.

"_During my time being dead, I inquired about my birth mother's experience from Szara, given the dragoness spirit had been the reason for my creation in the first place. She was hesitant about giving details but I pressured her into telling me so I would understand just why there were not more hybrids walking around. Terrible pain, that's all she would say at first when I asked about how it had felt for the woman who carried me for six months-_"

"Tamli, I hate to interrupt but you just said that the hybrid fetuses are ready to be born by about four or five months. How did she manage not to deliver you sooner?"

"_Because of Szara's presence_," Tamli whispered, closing his eyes for a second, "_because she sensed the pain of the woman that she had possessed to create this new life. It was only because of how Szara interacted with things that she managed to make it bearable for my birth mother to not go into labor any sooner than she did. When the time came for my birth, though, it still made no difference . . ._ _The strain killed the one who carried me into the world and the dragoness spirit that had watched over her knew nothing could be done to save the fragile woman even as my first cry spilt the night air. Even with the instinct to form an eggshell no longer present, the offspring are larger than expected due to their mixed blood and, as it was in my case, the child is born but the act of delivery breaks several bones in the process and the mother bleeds to death before help can be found._"

The silence that enfolded them once Tamli finished stretched on for several minutes until Aurelia softly asked, "Do you know the name of the woman that gave birth to you?"

"_Autuma . . . That's all I could get Szara to tell me when I asked that very question before she would clam up and walk away._" Tamli's gaze hardened, his attention quickly turning back to Nethial as he watched the shallow rise and fall of her chest to distract himself.

Aurelia carefully approached him, placing her hand on his scaley shoulder as he briefly glanced at her before resuming his observation of the woman he had a son with. "I know you're worried about Nethial but she's strong, Tamli. After what all she's been through, it would have broken a normal person but she survived and lived to tell about it." Hesitating a moment, she tried to find the right words to say before whispering softly, "I'll keep her under heavy surveillance and run numerous tests to check for internal bleeding and broken bones. It won't end the same way it ended for Autuma, I promise."

* * *

><p>Narssia still felt uneasy as she kept glancing around for the dark spirit that had become a part of her. Even though they fought and bickered numerous times over the years, she had grown to see Arxa start to shed that tough exterior for a softer outlook. Once the two eggs had been laid, she hadn't expected the black essence to sound so caring about them and had truly been shocked to see how much it cared for their well-being. Taking a step forward, she stumbled before catching herself and let a low growl rise from her throat as her mind felt hazy.<p>

'**_Arxa, are you certain you aren't causing this?_**' She asked as she dug her talons into the soft sand-like ground under her to help stabilize herself.

'**For the thousandth time, I am not the reason for your apparent sudden onset of weakness**,' Arxa snarled in response, the normal coarseness of her voice nearly nonexistent.

'**_Something has to be the reason for it though. Is it like this always for you? A sense of confusion and uncertainty no matter what you do?_**'

Arxa's sharp hiss of anger signaled Narssia that she was only irritating the dark spirit and so she elapsed into silence, closing her eyes as she tried to focus on the peace that Windra had suggested. It was difficult for her to be back among the blackness that had consumed her in the first place but she knew that without calming herself the fight would be over before it even began. Taking a deep breath, she heard a faint growl echo from nearby before feeling the vast might of Corruption's magic press against her and try to resist her controlling its dangerous abilities.

'**Sitting there with your eyes closed won't help**,' Arxa bitterly snarled in disgust as Narssia twitched briefly. '**We both know I won't go down without a fight.**'

Focus still on finding that sense of peace she had been able to find back during her time spent in the past, Narssia ignored the comment from Arxa and subconsciously felt shadows lick at her right foretaloned leg. She had to trust that Windra had known what he was doing when he agreed to help her control the darkness that had settled deep in her heart. Despite what she was trying to achieve, her mind still wandered back to what the evil spirit had said when it mentioned a being whose very identity pulsated with the vilest blackness that even Corruption obeyed it without question. Unsure of what it had meant at the time, she had chosen to ignore the idea that maybe those words were about her after all she had gone through since her hatching.

'**_Arxa, what did you mean when you mentioned a being whose heart was so black that even Corruption obeyed it without question?_**' Narssia asked suddenly as she opened her eyes to find that the black spirit had created another mist-dragon to keep her company in the vast bleakness of their current environment.

'**I mentioned a prophecy that was spoken long ago, one that has yet to be fulfilled**,' Arxa replied as the mist-dragon blinked and curled up on the grey ground to await its orders. '**As I told you, the creature that will make this event come true is destined to come from the lineage of Nira. You are a descendant of his and one of the most powerful she-dragons that currently exists-**'

Snarling at the words being spoken, Narssia snapped back, '**_That title would not be mine if innocents were kept unharmed! Amia upset the balance of nature when he created the cloned hybrids, you know this. It is them who continued to kill everything in their path just to get to Tamli, Arxa!_**'

'**I am aware of that**.'

'**_Then stop hiding and face me! If you refuse then I guess I will have earned the right to consider you a coward in your own domain . . ._**' Narssia knew she was tempting fate by insulting Arxa but nothing else had worked to get the dark spirit to come out and meet her face-to-face since she had arrived in the barren expanse.

The low, agitated snarl that echoed out from the bleak area around her gave Narssia hope that her words had finally forced Arxa into action. She noticed the mist-dragon shatter into pieces suddenly and felt a rush of cold wind as the fragments of the creature rose up into the air together before a strange green mist seemed to come up from under the ground. As another growl unnerved her enough to force her to take a step back, Narssia noticed that the pieces met the green mist and elongated into various parts of a dragon's body before combining together to create a scaled beast that was only a few inches taller than she was.

Four pure ivory white horns curved backwards as the scale-flier opened its eyes to reveal the vast blank emptiness that Narssia knew was Arxa's whitened irises from the times when the dark spirit would take control over her. Grey scales coated the creature's entire body and its pair of wings had a small white spike jetting out from the main bone in the front while the dark leathery material trailed behind. Similar smaller spikes ran from the base of its tail to the tip of its neck as its four talons per leg shimmered under a faint layer of shadows that cloaked the entire creation. Its triangular shaped snout tapered to a point as two small fangs stuck out from its upper jaw; the thick, muscular tail also having the same scythe-like appearance from the mist beasts as it gleamed like polished metal.

Slightly uneasy from seeing the creature so nearly exact to her own frame, Narssia briefly wondered if Arxa had created this just to mess with her mind and make her lower her guard. She shook her head, snorting as she dug her talons into the soft earth under her. The scale-flier had to be what the dark spirit imagined itself to be, she reasoned as she felt ice crystals start to form around her maw as she readied herself to blast the opposing dragon's wings with a frozen stream to slow it down.

Ice spread over the grey's dragons wings as Narssia took advantage of her speed to have the first strike, pouring her anger and regret into freezing the very creature that was the embodiment of her most hated foe. She heard Arxa snarl harshly at being attacked but cared little about the well-being of the malicious spirit and followed up the attack with a blast of shadow that, although not the same as Corruption's darkness, had the intended effect that she had hoped it would cause. It confused her at first when she unleashed the black smoky substance into the air because she had actually been trying to use the dark magic that had tainted her but the shriek of pain from the scale-flier made her realize that she had somehow gained the element of shadow without having been in contact with Finca.

Throwing herself into the air, she spread her wings and roared in challenge to the grounded grey dragon before sending down a barrage of fireballs to inflict further injury. To Narssia's surprise, the creature seemed to absorb the attack without any damage and even defrosted its wings from the gained heat while trying to toss her out of the sky with a strong gust of wind. Snarling in anger at seeing the same tactic that Jormundur had often used, she retaliated by spinning and shocking the scale-flier with a jolt of electricity as the movement prevented the excess static energy from harming her wings as it had done in previous attempts. Giving her wings a hard flap to stay airborne as she straightened back out, she tried to quickly remember what she had gained from Rados when Arxa had killed him. Time travel could have been from either of her sons or even from Rados himself yet she thought there was a something else that she had obtained from his dying frame.

Arxa, seizing upon her host's lack of attention to the area around her, used the dragonic embodiment of her essence to lift up a large portion of the sand-like ground with a gust of wind and then froze it around Narssia after ensuring it completely encased the black dragoness . . .

* * *

><p>The sharp pain of something burning into his shoulder startled Tamli at first but he quickly realized that Aurelia had taken a step back and had dropped the contact between them. Glancing at Narssia's unconscious frame, he saw the shadows consume her scales and knew that whatever she was currently facing was causing her the agony that she was reflecting out to everyone around her. Unwilling to risk touching her mind and discovering just what her situation was, he lowered his head and turned his attention towards Nethial as he watched the shallow rise and fall of her chest.<p>

"Tamli, would you mind staying with Geer until Narssia wakes up? I'd like to but now . . ."

"_It is not a problem_," he assured her before turning around and walking over to the blind dragon that had once been bonded to him for a time.

Even being farther away from Narssia failed to decrease the sting of pain he felt every now and then but Tamli did his best to avoid showing his discomfort as Geer curled up on the floor to wait. Watching Aurelia fuss over Nethial soothed some of his fears as he tried to think of how best to approach his former love with the details he knew she would need to survive the coming months. If she was as stubborn as she had been back before Raoul was born then it would be difficult to get her to understand that the life she was carrying inside might just kill her or seriously hurt her without realizing its own actions.

"_Why haven't you shifted yet?_"

Geer's sudden question startled Tamli from his thoughts and he snarled, snapping at the blind dragon out of instinct before realizing what had been said. Why hadn't he shifted back into being a human? He enjoyed having the freedom to switch between the two parts of his identity but it seemed easier to forget his problems and live by instinct while embracing his more dragonic side. The psychotic clone had done the opposite by always staying human and . . . Growling, he pushed the thought away before it could stir up emotions that he would rather leave buried for the time being.

"_I don't know how to answer that, Geer. My soul mate was a dragon but my first love, the very woman whose life is in danger now, has always been human. I suppose I just want to hide away from the pain in a form that finds it easier to deal with . . ._"

"_I understand_," Geer hummed, "_because I have also gone through the same thing myself. For the first several months after I hatched, I had no sight and had to use my other senses to move through the world. Once I unlocked my inner electricity, I began to see things around me through their electromagnetic field. It wasn't perfect vision but it was better than what I had and I cherish my element because of it . . . because I was given a second chance at something I never had to begin with._"

The comment made Tamli hesitate as he listened to Geer. He had never known the blind dragon's reason for having electricity as its element but it seemed ideally gifted the more he thought about it. Tanui had given a similar source of hope to Nethial when he found her and, as much as he hated to admit it, her current happiness had to have come from how the clone had made her feel while it had been alive.

"_Geer, I think I could give you a similar experience, if you'd allow it. There's no pressure to accept my offer . . . I just thought it might give you a new outlook on things._"

Geer snorted, lifting his head slightly. "_Why would I say no? Of course I accept your offer, Tamli._"

Nodding his head, Tamli leaned over and pressed the tip of his snout against Geer's eyes. He quickly informed the blind dragon that the pain it would feel would only be temporary and that the gift he was giving it was something he should have done quite a long time ago. It had been one of the things he had asked Mirage about during the time he had been dead but now he realized why it had felt so important back then. Geer had been born without sight but he could give the dragon the one thing it never had so it could be free to admit its feelings for Narssia.

It only took a small portion of his strength but Tamli tried to make the process painless for Geer as he allowed his aura to spread over the dragon's eyes and correct what had been damaged before it was even hatched. He briefly wondered if Finca had been in any danger when she mated with Nira for the scale-flier before him to have hatched without sight but quickly silenced the thought as he lifted his snout away and sighed. Geer had never admitted to having feelings for Narssia but he had, instead, sensed the connection from the injured dragoness as it waged war against the darkness that thrived inside of it.

"_I'm done, Geer. You can move your head now_." Tamli tried to hold back the weariness he was feeling from his voice but a low growl of concern from Geer signaled he had not been successful with hiding his current condition.

"_Tamli, if you're tired then you don't-_" Geer paused as he blinked, finding colors dance before his vision that he had never experienced before. "_Did you . . . give me sight? Why?_"

"_Because every individual deserves a second chance_," Tamli whispered softly as he joined the dragon on the floor, turning his head to better see Nethial so he would be aware the moment she awoke.

"_You didn't have to exhaust yourself just to give me sight, Tamli! I know you're still injured from the fight with the clone so the best thing for you to do right now is rest. Sure you have a faster healing rate than most dragons but it isn't good for you to be up moving around so soon after what's happened . . ._"

Letting a low snarl ripple from the back of his throat in protest, Tamli focused a single amethyst iris on Geer. "_I can't do that_," he growled, wincing as another flicker of pain from Narssia brushed against his mind. "_Every time I close my eyes I see him killing her. I need to keep myself busy so I won't think about it and then remember he electrocuted himself to death before I could avenge Finca. That is the reason why I haven't shifted back! I can't stand to see how broken my body is right now because I failed to go to my mate in time to save her._"

Geer blinked as Tamli finished his outburst and lowered his head onto his forelegs, the formerly blind dragon's new icy blue irises gleaming with life. "_Surely I've experienced worse, Tamli_. _You need to realize that there was nothing you could have done to get to Finca any faster than you had. Tan- The clone was determined to use everything he had to make you miserable and he chose his final action to be ending the life of the one you cherished the most so you would be distraught when you fought him. He wanted to use your fragile emotional state to his advantage to kill you as he had killed her._"

Sitting up, Tamli sighed and made the conscious choice to shift back into his human forme, the words Geer had spoken reminding him that he had done only what he could have to save Finca. Clenching his teeth to keep the pain of his transformation at bay, he watched as the blue dragon glanced over his broken frame with an anguished expression. He could feel the swelling in his left knee had gone down some but, as he gingerly tried to touch it, the pain still made him grimace. The numerous scratches he had gotten from the fight and burns he had received following the clone's abrupt death had been bandaged up but he sensed that the problem with his back had not yet been resolved as it twinged angrily with every breath he took. His right arm felt quite sore and he reached up with his left hand to massage the bruised shoulder from where Tanui had smacked him with the staff to cause him to fall to the ground.

"You see now what I meant!" He muttered as he saw from the corner of his eye Nethial twitch. "Every breath I take causes me pain, Geer. I can barely walk because of the swelling in my left knee and thus figured it would be easier to pass off my problems if I was cloaked in scales."

"_Those should have started to heal by now_," Geer growled as Tamli moved slightly to get comfortable and felt his breath catch in his throat as a spasm of pain flared up from his injured back.

Once he had his breath back, he wheezed, "They would have but for any healing to start I have to at least be conscious. As my wounds indicate, I was out cold for much of the two days following the fight and I'm certain Aurelia would say the same thing if you asked her."

Concern for the hybrid caused Geer to snort softly as another spasm of pain caught Tamli unexpectedly and he closed his eyes, leaning forward as he curled his hands into fists to prevent them from trembling badly. There hadn't been this much agony when Nethial interacted with him upon his awakening, he realized as a sudden cough shook his feeble frame and he tasted blood in the back of his mouth. Glancing up at the blue dragon as he weakly reopened his eyes, his expression told more than he could bare to say in words.

"_Aurelia, would you mind taking a look at Tamli? I believe I can keep an eye on Nethial and Narssia while you examine him, if that is acceptable._"

Tamli was thankful that Geer had spoken up as his body quivered and he uncurled a hand to brace it against the floor to help give him balance. He couldn't explain why he was suddenly feeling as worn out as he was but he put the thought from his mind as Aurelia walked over and placed a comforting hand on his left shoulder. Blinking, he tried to focus on her but whatever she was saying seemed to be drowned out by the fact that Nethial was regaining consciousness as he saw her open her eyes and glance around in mild distress before finding him. For a brief second he thought she might have mistaken him for Tanui but her expression soon darkened and he felt resentfulness ripple out towards him from her mind.

" . . . Tamli, how long have you been awake? You know your body needs to recover from the damage it received during your fight with Tanui. Answer me!" Aurelia fussed as his back twinged painfully and a low hiss escaped him before he could stop himself.

"He's been up moving around ever since I visited him," Nethial admitted as her soft voice carried across the room. "I was the one that pushed him to do things before he was ready and am sorry if he is feeling the effects of it now."

"Net . . ." Tamli whispered as another spasm of pain from his back nearly took his breath. "It's okay, I'll be fine. I have survived much worse."

"You weren't this injured though," she snapped back as she gingerly rose to a sitting position. "Sure there was the time you first experienced Dragonisicm but you recovered from it rather quickly once you were moved out of its range . . ."

"_You experienced the effects of Dragonisicm? I figured its hindrance towards our kind would not be as pronounced due to your mixed blood. Tell me, how did the toxic plant make you feel?_"

Geer's question caused a feeling of unease in Tamli as he closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Something had been plaguing the farthest reaches of his mind ever since the fight with Tanui but, until now, he had been uncertain of what troubled him. With the mention of Dragonisicm, an understanding had taken place that revealed to him more knowledge than the dark clone had ever intended to admit.

"Aurelia, I would prefer an isolated examination, if that is possible." Barely opening his eyes, he motioned with a nod towards the small back passage she had first arrived from as the location he had chosen.

Helping him to his feet, Aurelia allowed Tamli to use her as a brace until he felt steady enough to support his own weight. Once moderately certain he would not fall, the two slowly made their way over to the dimly lit corridor that Aurelia had used as a back entrance from her own chambers. Slipping inside the darkened stone path, Tamli moved over to the closest wall he could find to give her some room as his palms pressed against slime covered bricks that looked far older than most of the Compound itself.

The aged mortar around them was covered with numerous cracks but several small orbs lay inside a narrow alcove hidden just behind the entrance to the room they had left behind. Briefly walking into the enclosed space, Aurelia returned with two glistening stones as the objects seemed to detect the presence of energy and swirled to life with a muted blue color, getting a soft hum of approval from Tamli as he started to remove the cloak Nethial had given him upon his reawakening.

"I see you keep a pile of light stones within easy reach," he muttered thoughtfully as Aurelia sat the glowing objects down on the well-worn path and watched him as he slid out of the soft black material to reveal the multitudes of bandages covering his lightly tanned skin.

Aurelia sighed, brushing a loose strand of hair back before she shrugged and crossed her arms. "It never hurts to have access to them. Most don't even know that this path connects to the room Dhran and I share, thus the reason why the bricks look so aged by time. Moving on to more pressing matters, why did you not want Nethial to see your examination?"

"It is because of what I think is located in my back. The discussion of Dragonisicm brought up something that I had thought I put out of my mind for years, something that could harm Nethial and the fetus right now if they were to be in close contact with me . . ."

"What are you talking about?" Aurelia questioned as Tamli sighed and turned to face the wall, letting her see his back as bright green shards mixed in with the normal skin and glistened as the faint light bounced off them.

Starting with the base of his neck, occasional broken fragments of green jewel-like shards scarred much of his back and left the skin around it inflamed and oozing blood. The back of his right shoulder was nearly consumed by the odd substance and another large portion was located just left of the center of his back. Narrow streams of blood passing over the illuminate material caused the pieces to take on a more blackened appearance and those few spots had veining around them similar to what Tanui's face had been like with the wraith's control.

"Tamli . . . What- What is that?" The slight stutter and higher pitched voice indicated to Tamli that Aurelia had little idea of what she was seeing and that her curiosity was overtaking her dragon-born instincts to get away from the material that was embedded in his back.

"It is pure extract from the Dragonisicm plant that was triggered to make contact with me the moment Tanui extinguished his life force. Amia had planned a secondary way to get rid of me if the clone failed and, from what I can gather, the entire area where I fought him was implanted with small portions of this substance to ensure I would be unable to evade being struck with the toxic material. As of why the large dose has not killed me yet, I am unsure but, based upon the amount located in my back, I believe it was meant to hinder and negate my healing abilities rather than immediately end my life on the spot . . ."

"That's why your wounds haven't been healing . . . I thought maybe it was something I was doing wrong but . . ." Aurelia whispered, moving to touch the closest shard to her for a better examination.

A low growl from Tamli was the only warning she got before Aurelia was roughly spun around and shoved up against the same wall he had been facing, his warm breath brushing past her ear as his hands clamped around her wrists. "Do not touch. I had thought your former instincts as a dragon would have alerted you to the identity of the substance but can I see I was mistaken. You may be a flesh-cloaked dragon but the Dragonisicm would still reek havoc on you, this I know from my own first experience with it . . ."

"I am aware of my former existence as a dragon, Tamli. Unlike many who choose to shed their scales and empty their minds, I returned as a human with dragonic memories in order to help the descendants of Mirage completely eliminate the threat of Corruption. My curiosity, however, has interfered with my examination of your back and I deeply regret my lack of concentration. I understand now why you were hesitant to have me look you over while Nethial was still in the room."

Letting her go, Tamli slowly retreated several steps as he collected his hands together in front of him. "I only want to protect Nethial . . . Surely you can understand that given your own history. Leaving her was the hardest thing I had ever done up to that point and I still regret how I approached the delicate subject even now."

Aurelia turned to face him as Tamli's voice softened, noticing a slight tremor briefly catch him off guard as he continued, "The presence of Dragonisicm has a devastating effect on younglings - both dragon and hybrids. I can barely stand to remember what it felt like the first time I was exposed to the substance, realizing that I wanted to be as far away from it as possible at first. Eventually it numbs your thoughts and, without removal from the area, severely damages both the mind and the body."

"That's what it does to dragons as well, although the effects are more traumatic the longer it remains captive by the toxic plant," Aurelia added, watching as Tamli's jaw clenched and he averted his gaze to glance back the way they had come. "You don't want to hurt her child, do you? That's why you've been distant ever since you came down here with her."

"I don't want it to hurt her," he admitted, briefly meeting her gaze before looking away again. "The fetus is stronger than a normal human and even a single kick could break bones. Should it be near my-"

Tamli froze, sensing Nethial's approaching presence and hastily reached for his discarded cloak that he had thrown to the ground during the conversation with Aurelia. The stretch for the material forced him to reach for it with his right arm and put more weight on his injured leg. Before he could grab a hold of the cloth, he felt his leg give out and collapsed to the floor, the impact jarring his already bruised shoulder and arm.

The pain that flooded in from the fall threatened to render him unconscious as he lay there dazed. Aurelia hurrying over to him, Tamli felt Nethial's presence right at the entrance to the ancient corridor and heard her gasp, realizing she had seen his back. Taking a shallow breath, his fingers touched the black material he had been trying to reach and clenched the soft cloth as his right arm trembled.

"Tamli, is this why you didn't want me to see your back?" Nethial whispered as he tried to pull the cloak over to him. "You know I've seen wounds just as bad so why hide it from me?"

"Because . . . Because it's not like what you've seen before. This is Dragonisicm, Net. This is what Amia's final plan was if Tanui failed to kill me. It's there to hinder my healing . . . He wanted me to die from my wounds."

Elapsing into silence, Tamli met Aurelia's gaze and gave a brief nod, hoping she would understand that they had to get Nethial away from him for the safety of the unborn hybrid fetus. He didn't want to push her away but he expected what the results would be for her and the child if they were in the presence of Dragonisicm much longer. Raising his head, he smiled softly at her before his strength left him and he returned to resting on the floor.

* * *

><p>Narssia thought at first that she had nothing else to give as her heartbeat slowed and the space around her was blanketed by complete darkness. Her senses, however, told her that Arxa had lifted up a windstorm of the grey sand and had trapped her inside it to make her submit to the malicious spirit. She had tried everything she knew but nothing had left a scratch on the vile creature that was determined to control her again.<p>

As she began to lose hope, Narssia felt a quietness descend over her and wondered if what Windra had said about having mastery over the darkness was finally happening to her. She could feel a pulsing current of comforting energy start to flow through her body and tapped deeper into the power, hearing the grainy prison start to crack and break apart. Lifting her head proudly, she spread her wings out fully as the entire structure violently shattered. A gentle glow of white light covered her body as she gave her wings a flap and scanned the area around her for Arxa.

The brutal impact of the spirit's dragonic essence rammed into her and Narssia was thrown onto the ground, only to get stabbed with Arxa's horns as the dark presence darted around and inflicted additional injuries by utilizing its control over time. Scratches marred her left flank and bite marks lined her neck as Narssia tried to get her breath back, unable to stop the onslaught of quickly growing wounds.

Arxa's next lunge towards her had Narssia thrown back into the air as the spirit's four horns carved deep grooves into her tender underbelly. Roaring in pain, Narssia sent a fireball at the grey dragon as she extended her wings to stabilize her now airborne location. The blast was quickly avoided and a strong gale of wind was soon trying to pull her from the sky as she noticed Arxa had not chosen to directly confront her after her return strike.

Diving towards the dark spirit, Narssia focused her electrical abilities on her claws as the edges of maw glistened with ice crystals. Sending down an ice shard as a warning, her lightning-tinged talons ripped across Arxa's wings in a fury of crackling power. Rising back up and circling around, the sound of the malicious spirit's shrill shriek of pain brought a small glimmer of delight to Narssia as she watched her darker counterpart try to follow her into the sky but fall back to the ground with a snarl of disgust due to the large tears in the flexible membranes.

Snarling, Narssia gradually descended as she sent ice shards at Arxa and noticed once such blade slice through the dark spirit's left foretaloned limb and trap it to the ground. Intrigued by the discovery, she spat one at the dragon's tail, only for it to get cut in half by the creature's scythe-like appendage. Deciding to change tactics, she focused her icy power into a single beam and concentrated it solely on both the malicious one's tail and head. The result was a frozen line stretching from Arxa's snout to her tail, the entire area covered in ice.

Landing with a dark growl, her eyes found those of the black spirit's and Narssia hesitantly paused, finding the blankness had changed to a deep crimson with a single yellow ring in the center. Even as her instincts screamed for her to deliver the finishing blow, she stared at the unique color and gradually felt her resolve to fight start to fade. Killing a defenseless spirit was against everything she knew and she had promised herself long ago when Vanz had still been alive that she was not a monster. Yet despite that justification, her problems had all began because she had been too weak to fight against the same darkness that had consumed the one she had bonded with.

Blinking, Narssia shook her head and felt her mind clear, quickly realizing Arxa had tried to persuade her against the death she was about to cause. Even with the small length of time that had passed, she noticed briefly that Arxa was starting to free herself from the ice but paid it no mind. She couldn't trust the dark spirit to be truthful with anything so she ignored the weak attempt at swaying her from doing what was right and took a step forward as the black magic of Corruption swirled under her and she began to charge up a blast of electricity . . .


	70. Hidden Complications

**Chapter 70-Hidden Complications**

Nethial saw that Tamli had exchanged a look with Aurelia for some reason but as she continued to stare at his scarred back a slight movement within her abdomen abruptly captured her attention. Her child, _Tanui's _child, had shown its first sign of being active but the sensation felt too much like how it had been when she was five months along with Raoul. Placing a hand on her abdomen, she felt the fetus inside of her lash out with a kick . . .

Immediately she knew something was wrong as her legs threatened to buckle and her free hand braced itself against the wall closest to her. The skin under her palm felt warm and a soft hiss escaped her, attracting the attention of Aurelia. Before she could argue that she was fine, the woman gently pushed her back into the room she had awoken in.

"Tamli warned me to get you away but I thought he was just still dazed from that fall . . ." Aurelia mused as Nethial lifted up her tunic to see a dark bruise right where she had placed her hand.

"Why did it cause a bruise? All I felt was it kick and then the next thing I know I'm almost on the floor, pain radiating from that one area as if I was punched there." Nethial silently figured Aurelia had some knowledge about what it was but couldn't be absolute certain unless she asked.

"Nethial, I don't know how to say this but the child you're carrying is a hybrid. Tanui must have passed down enough dragonic genes to make the offspring a mix of the two races and with that comes certain difficulties for the mother who carries the fetus until it's born . . ."

Retreating a step in shock, Nethial dropped both arms by her side as she stammered, "But that's not possible . . . Tanui never willingly embraced his dragonic side by shifting into its forme during the time I was around him. If what you're saying is true then the kick I felt is just the beginning, right? It has plenty more months to grow . . ."

"Unfortunately not, according to Tamli. Hybrid fetuses are ready to be born after four to five months. They're stronger and larger due to the mixed blood so it's important that I keep a check on you to make sure there is no internal bleeding or broken bones."

Letting her gaze fall to her abdomen, Nethial silently contemplated what she had heard. She would never have imagined that her encounter with a clone of the man she had fallen in love with to create Raoul would end up blessing her with another child. Even though the life she was carrying inside her was a human-dragon hybrid, it made no difference to her and she would raise it as Raoul had been raised.

"You think the baby was reacting to the Dragonisicm extract in Tamli's back?" Nethial asked as Aurelia walked with her over to the cot she had awoken on.

"That's what we were talking about just when you walked up," Aurelia commented as Nethial sat down on the white material. "I suspect Tamli had the right instincts to get you away before the exposure harmed the fetus."

Resting her right hand on her abdomen, Nethial moved so that her metallic legs stretched out beside her. Using her free hand to stabilize her balance, she watched as Aurelia circled around and sat down beside her, occasionally glancing at Narssia. The quiet tap of talons against the ground caught Nethial's attention and she turned her head to see that Geer had gotten to his feet and was approaching the unconscious black dragoness.

Aurelia, having followed her gaze, calmly asked, "Geer, something wrong? Any change in her condition?"

"_Unfortunately, I cannot determine what change there is at this time. From what I can understand, Narssia is beginning to wake. She's scared of what the other dragons will think of her, Aurelia._"

"Let me speak with her, _dragi_. I may be able to help her see pass her fears." Nethial didn't realize immediately that she had included a word from her former life into the conversation but a soft growl of confusion from Geer alerted her to the error and she hastily apologized for her mistake.

"_While my knowledge of the old language of paradise is limited, I appreciate the kind words that flow easily from your tongue, Nethial_," Geer hummed as he stopped at Narssia's side and pressed the tip of his snout against her own to awaken her.

Nodding her head, Nethial observed how gentle Geer was with Narssia and remarked, "_Sya_, dragon. I am honored by your actions as well towards the dragoness that once destroyed so much. There is a growing bond between you both and I ask that you cherish the connection to her. You may very likely be the one that breaks through to her and shows her the error of what Arxa and Corruption have done because of their control over her."

"I second Nethial's advise. It would do you well to take it to heart, Geer. I don't even need my connection to aura to identify that Narssia knows there's something between you both - although I can guarantee she is unwilling to admit whatever feelings she may possess towards you out of fear of rejection."

Turning her head at the sound of Tamli's voice, Nethial quickly found him leaning against the door frame with his black cloak on to cover his deeply scarred back. Even with some distance between them, she could see the pain in his eyes and knew he had only spoken up because of her. Gaze softening, she started to get to her feet but a light touch on her shoulder from Aurelia forced her to remain seated.

"_Tamli, forgive me for asking this but shouldn't the extent of your wounds limit your physical movement right now?_" Geer inquired as Narssia blinked then hissed and shut her eyes.

"On all accounts it should have rendered me immobile," Tamli replied as he raised his right hand to dust off his cloak, the limb shaking heavily. "Yet here I stand before you. The nature of fate is difficult to predict, is it not?"

"_Fate is cruel and life reflects that_."

Narssia's words, while soft, held much venom as Nethial silently listened to the dragoness. She knew how hard life was but it surprised her to hear the she-dragon sounding so broken and hopeless. Never would she have expected such an outcome after what she hah seen from the scale-flier before it had been tainted by darkness - although she preferred to repress those memories as they were also the beginning of her mental decline that left her in the state Tanui first met her in.

Choosing to directly confront Narssia's words, Nethial cleared her throat before remarking, "Narssia, not all of life is unforgiving. Certain moments bring joy into the otherwise bleak period of existence. The birth of your own offspring must have-"

"_How could it have brought me joy? One of them was just massacred, the other hates me, and my two newest descendants will know only what they hear from the others. They will grow into vicious creatures that loathe their mother because of what she was - all without giving her a chance to explain why she acted as she did_," Narssia snapped back, opening her eyes to glare at Nethial as a slight streak of red blazed through the center of her yellow irises.

"_It was either him or you, I had to make a decision. I couldn't let Jormundur kill you, Narssia_," Geer growled as Narssia unfolded a wing and pushed him away.

Narssia's low snarl sent chills up Nethial's spine as the dragoness hissed, "_So it was perfectly acceptable for you to make that last-minute decision as to whether to save me and keep Arxa alive or let me be killed by my own dark-hearted son? My death would have brought about the end of Corruption's malice, Geer! You would have been free to live a life safe from the darkness. Wouldn't you have enjoyed that?_"

"_It wouldn't have given me a chance to get to know you_," Geer hummed as he closed his eyes and placed the tip of his snout on her outstretched wing. "_I'm sorry, Narssia._"

A thin jolt of electricity raced from his snout and wrapped itself around her body, shocking her into unconsciousness as a soft snort echoed from just outside the room. Attention perked, Nethial glanced over to see Cambre waiting for permission to enter and breathed a sigh of relief at knowing that the healer dragon would get to the bottom of Narssia's sudden change in behavior. Geer retreated several steps as Cambre entered and approached the unconscious she-dragon with a look of determination in his eyes.

"_No questions asked_," Cambre growled as Nethial noticed Tamli sag against the wall, clutching the wood around him with a hand. "_She will be handled with the best of care on Tel-var. We leave-_"

"She's not going anywhere," Aurelia remarked as she stood, advancing on the darkly colored dragon as her voice began to get higher pitched with her rising anger. "The orders I was given when Narssia was brought in was that this dragon is to remain here until a proper trial has taken place. I am to heal any wounds I can find and test to see if she is sound of mind. Judging by what we just witnessed, I'd say her mental stability is in question right now."

Getting the message she was trying to point out to him, Cambre reluctantly agreed to stay at the Compound while he aided her in helping discover the reason behind Narssia's sudden altered behavior. Having witnessed the event herself, Nethial, however, had another reason in mind as to what the cause was that triggered the change. Narssia was a born empath, she knew that much from how Tamli had talked about the dragoness, and having been under Corruption's control for thousands of years, she realized what had happened to the calm scale-flier they had once known.

"Corruption altered her empathy," Nethial pointed out as she felt Tamli come up behind her and rest a hand on her shoulder. "Instead of her having that natural concern for others, she now thinks that all are out to get her because of what the darkness did while it was in control of her."

Exchanging a glance with Geer, Tamli nodded and tightened his grip on the soft flesh of her shoulder. "I have also felt it," he remarked as Nethial observed Cambre telekinetically lift Narssia into the air and gently lay her down on the cot she had awoken on. "Yet there is something else I can sense in her. It is possible that Corruption is still alive inside her."

"Tamli, could you and Nethial give me some time to talk with Cambre and see what our opinions are concerning Narssia?" Aurelia questioned as she walked over to the unconscious dragoness. "Geer, I want you to accompany them, please."

Geer's soft snort came as he lowered his head, tail swishing slowly across the floor. "_If you feel it is the best course of action_," he muttered before turning around and leaving the way Tamli had first arrived from.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Narssia woke to Cambre's fierce gaze and flinched, sliding back to put distance between her and the stranger that had come to delve deep into her mind and uncover her hidden secret that Arxa was still alive. As her tail pressed against the wood-stone that lined the base of the walls down where Aurelia worked, her gaze became frantic and she searched the area around her for something to focus on that would take her mind off the horrible methods the dark colored dragon would use. She could sense the muddled wakening of the vicious indwelling spirit and repressed a shutter, eyes fixating on her own scaled forelegs to block out the area around her.<p>

"_I'm judging by your behavior that you know why I'm here_," Cambre growled as his rough voice sent a chill down Narssia's spine and she stared harder at her black scales.

"Cambre, she just woke up. Give her time to adjust to her surroundings." Narssia recognized the calm voice immediately as Aurelia but made no motion to see what direction the healer came from.

A low snarl rose from the throat of the visiting dragon as Narssia continued to act as if he wasn't directly in front of her and ready to ask questions about a topic she had nothing to say to him about. Quick tempered, she mused as she recalled the very conversation she had with Arxa that lead to the moment she was now finding herself in . . .

**. . . As she charged the electrical sphere that would end the life of the one she hated beyond anything else, Arxa finished breaking free of the ice and lunged for her. The impact threw her onto her back but the spirit placed a foretaloned leg on her throat to keep her in place. **

'Narssia, hear me out before you do something you will deeply regret. We both know that killing goes against your empathic nature and I . . . I haven't been completely truthful with you. I can exist independently from you and give you back your life. No longer would you have to be my host. You would be free to admit your feelings for Geer and not have me watching over your shoulder.**'**

**Hesitation showed in Narssia's actions as she closed her maw and blinked, stunned by the information she had just heard come from the very creature who had told her nothing but lies for years. **'_What catch is there? Certainly this isn't some service you're providing me because you feel guilty. I thought you said that you exist to make me suffer, or did I not hear that right?_'

'Ths is simply a gift to you for all I put you through. I never imagined I could exist apart from you but after you left with Jormundur when he time traveled to the past, I realized that our separation gave me a clearer picture on things.'**** Arxa paused, a distant look to her blank eyes. ****'I do care for the eggs but you must remember that I was created by Corruption to exist as your dark half. Leaving those shadows will be as difficult for me as if I had let you kill me and allowed you to live with the guilt without having told you that I could do this to let you have back what was always yours.'

**Her eyes slow met Arxa's and Narssia knew then that the spirit was being truthful. She could have her life back but she wondered what Arxa would do after leaving her. It felt odd to say goodbye to a presence she had loathed but the spirit had almost become a part of her during the vast length of time they had spent together. **

'_How can you do this? The separation, I mean. Won't the process hurt both of us?_'

**Arxa snorted, shaking her head as she lifted her foreleg and stepped back to allow Narssia room to get back onto her feet. **'Not the way I intend to accomplish it. I have spent time thinking of the very way I could do it so as to not inflict harm on you and I have reached my final decision. Pouring my very existence into a single form, I will break from you as I become an egg and you lay it as you did with the two you were gifted with from Windra.'

'_How long will it take? You've been inside me for years, Arxa. I imagine it will be dangerous for you to concentrate all your energy and essence on one small spot._'** Narssia's question was honest as she rolled onto her side and struggled to her feet, never breaking eye contact with Arxa for fear of having the spirit lie once more to her. **

'I must act while you are still recovering from laying the eggs. The window of opportunity I have is small but it should only be several hours to several days for me to bid my last goodbye to this body and become my own individual.'

**Tail sliding around to lay against her left hind limb, Narssia hesitated for a brief second before asking, **'_Any symptoms I should watch out for as you draw all of yourself into my abdomen? I suspect the other dragons won't be happy with this change . . ._'

'Then let me speak for you until the time is right. My words may be harsh at first but only because I know my time left is limited. I think the only problem I could see would be your scales losing color until I have broken free from you, then it should return to normal.'

**Nodding her head in agreement, Narssia lifted her snout and spat a fireball into the sky. The black fire was soon joined by several ice shards and she looked to see Arxa had frost coating the scales around her maw and her eyes narrowed slightly. **

'Stay safe until I am ready. No one must know of this until after I have hatched and begun my new life . . .'** . . .**

Blinking to clear herself from the memory, Narssia listened as Cambre finally got to his feet and left the room. She suspected he went to hunt or clear his mind but she couldn't be sure unless she asked and she wasn't about to talk to the dragon until Arxa had completed her plan for rebirth. The gentle scrape of a chair against the floor brought her back to her senses and she snarled softly, noticing that Aurelia had found a folding chair somewhere in the facility and was using it as a seat.

"Cambre said I could try while he's off hunting," Aurelia informed her as Narssia found her gaze slowly drifting to the recovering healer that Geer trusted. "Talk to me, Narssia. Tell me what happened in your mind-"

"_It was a dreamscape_," Narssia whispered softly before falling silent, afraid that Arxa would be angry at her for even speaking before the spirit was ready for its new life.

Aurelia sighed, intertwining her fingers as she placed her hands on her lap. "A dreamscape then. What happened in there? Why did Tamli mention he can still sense Arxa? Don't shut me out, Narssia. I want to be your friend but I need to know what went on."

'**Tamli knows!**' Arxa screeched in anger as Narssia winced, the dark spirit's sign of displeasure nearly giving her a headache. '**This is bad. Do you trust this woman to keep our secret?**'

'**_Not if she's working with Cambre_**,' Narssia muttered softly to Arxa so Aurelia wouldn't hear. '**_We could trust Nethial though. She-_**'

Arxa growled softly in amusement. '**Before you bring it up again, yes I know it's my fault she ended up that broken. You do have a point though in suggesting Nethial. Her own experience makes it reasonable that she would hide our plan from those that would try and stop us.**'

Lifting her head, Narssia averted her gaze for a moment before quietly asking if she could speak with Nethial. Aurelia's initial look of confusion was soon replaced with a calm understanding and she agreed to go find the former rider but only if Narssia would tell Nethial what had happened in the dreamscape sometime during the conversation.

As Aurelia left to find Nethial, Narssia wondered where her eggs were. No dragon in their right mind would give her a space to call home down here after what Arxa had done over the years. She suspected that as soon as she was healed they would kick her out and force her to wander the Dominion in search of a cave she could raise the two and Arxa. Letting her gaze return to her foretaloned legs, she noticed several white spots along them and knew Arxa had started pulling back her essence to make the egg.

'**_Did you have to start with my forelegs first?_**' She grumbled as her eyes flickered around the room while waiting for Nethial to arrive.

'**Not just your forelegs, Narssia. From your snout downward is covered in the white specks. I told you they'll fade once I'm gone. Now when is that metallic-limb woman going to arrive?**'

Several minutes later, Narssia heard the click of Nethial's feet and sighed, readying herself for the difficult conversation as the woman entered the room alone. Dressed in a grey tunic and black shorts that covered the upper part of her metal legs, the former rider looked otherwise normal considering all she had experienced over the years. Even Arxa was impressed by her entrance, that much Narssia felt radiate from the dark spirit as it continued to work on forcing its essence into one spot.

"I heard you asked for me," Nethial commented as she walked over and took the seat Aurelia had left. "Don't worry about Aurelia, she's checking on other injured dragons so we can be allowed time to speak in private."

"_Rather than tell you, let me show you what I want to talk about_," Narssia growled as she closed her eyes and let a column of white light enfold both her and Nethial.

* * *

><p>Arxa's low growl met Narssia's attention as she blinked, finding herself back in the dreamscape with Nethial. She had decided this would be the best place to talk while also letting Arxa speak for herself. Leading Nethial over to the dark spirit's location, she wondered how the information would be received by a former servant of Corruption.<p>

"Why are we here? That being said, where is this place?" Nethial asked as they walked, the sound of her legs masking the clicking of Narssia's talons on the soft sand-like ground.

"_This is the dreamscape, a place that exists only because of one individual. I feel you are most suited to know that Arxa is not dead but has instead chosen to depart from me in the form of an egg. I plan to raise her while she keeps the memory of our time spent together in this body and I take it upon myself to help her find redemption for all the wrongs she has done._"

"I see . . ." Nethial's hesitation to speak showed Narssia the exact thing she was worried about and had yet to mention to Arxa.

The fear of rejection slowly crept into her mind but Narssia fought off the terror until Arxa came into view, the dark spirit looking the same as she had when they had talked about the idea of separation. Having freed herself from the ice before Narssia's arrival with Nethial, Arxa approached them and glanced to the former rider.

'**Narssia, could I speak to Nethial alone, please? There is something that has been on my mind since you left to get her and only she would know about it.**' The sudden tenderness in Arxa's voice concerned Narssia for a moment but she nodded and stepped back to allow the two time to speak in private.

Unable to control the mental link to the dark spirit, Narssia simply listened in to the conversation between the two and realized Arxa had tried possessing Nethial during the time she had been in the past with Jormundur. The attempt had failed and it only left Arxa more assured that a dragonic body was what she felt most comfortable inhabiting. Deciding to keep her knowledge of the conversation quiet for the time being, Narssia waited until they had finished and then approached to tell of what happened in the dreamscape.

"_I found myself here and fought Arxa, determined to kill her so my eggs would be safe and I could have my life back. As I was ready to end the conflict for good, she sprung at me and threw me onto my back. Her words first met my unwilling mind but I soon found myself opening up to the possibility of her having her own body._"

Nethial nodded, placing her right hand protectively over her abdomen. "I remember it felt strange when Arxa tried to possess me, like I was deep underwater for a brief second but then there was a flash of light and my mind was once again my own. That time still remains a dark period of my life though and I don't bring it up with just anyone."

'**We- I appreciate you trusting us enough to talk about it, Nethial. Before Tanui's death, I could sense his love for you radiating through every cell in his body - although the state of his mind made it likely that he saw you as an enemy rather than the kind soul he grew to cherish during the time you two spent together. It is not my place to say this but he found a way to be free of the harsh training Amia gave him when he was with you.**'

Narssia was impressed by the honesty Arxa had shown and knew deep down that Nethial believed the spirit's words. She had also sensed a connection between the two but something bothered her as she glanced at the way Nethial had her hand placed on her abdomen. The position almost indicated that the former rider was protecting it but, to Narssia's own knowledge, she had died in body thousands of years ago only to be reborn because of Arxa's creation by Corruption.

"_Nethial, is there something you'd like to share? I don't mean to pry but your behavior seems off._" Her words might have been gentle but Narssia sensed Nethial close off from them as she took a step back and averted her gaze.

"You know I was restored in mind at Tel-var, correct? My recovery allowed Tanui and I to freely express our mutual interest in one another and I gave myself permission to open up to him and . . ." She paused for a moment, licking her lips before whispering, ". . . making love to a copy of an individual I had made myself loathe after Corruption twisted me into believing its values were right."

Arxa's soft growl of confusion captured Narssia's attention as the dark spirit took a step forward to better clarify the situation. '**Weren't the clones sterile? I thought Amia made them with only a single purpose in mind and decided letting them run free on emotional outbursts were unacceptable. Are you saying Tanui was not stripped of his ability to produce offspring?**'

A sigh from Nethial confirmed what Arxa had expected and the former rider turned her gaze to Narssia, the look in her eyes almost pleading for help. "According to Tamli, I'm carrying a hybrid fetus. He said that the woman that gave birth to him only survived until her sixth month before delivering him and dying during the childbirth. I know this child is different from Raoul but I want nothing more than to help it grow into a powerful leader like the man its father was cloned from."

"_I'm certain you will live to watch it grow. Aurelia is the best person I know to help ensure you stay healthy_," Narssia growled warmly but secretly doubted whether even their healer would be able to keep Nethial alive if things went unexpected and complications arose.

"I appreciate the gentle words, Narssia," Nethial muttered softly as she glanced down at her right hand laying over her abdomen, "but my concern is more for the child than for my own safety. If I do not survive, I want Tamli to raise it and teach it to embrace both aspects about itself. I have every trust in him that he would accept the task-"

'**Yet you feel Aurelia is not skilled enough to keep you alive?**' Arxa snarled as she interrupted Nethial, the worry in her tone surprising Narssia who softly growled.

Shaking her head, Nethial sighed. "Just keep it a secret, please. I don't want anyone knowing that Tanui is the father. In return, I'll keep quiet about Arxa's plans for separating into her own body."

Nodding in agreement, Narssia pulled herself and Nethial out of the dreamscape and back into reality. The shock of having returned back to where she had been sitting resulted in a soft gasp from the former rider and Narssia quietly asked if the brief travel into the inner depths of her mind had harmed the fetus in any way.

"I don't think so," Nethial whispered as she felt for bruises before breathing a sigh of relief. "No, everything is just fine. I appreciate you being understanding. Last time I said something about the baby I was nearly killed by a furious dragon spirit who thought I wanted Tamli back as my lover again."

"_There are still issues with you and Finca? She should know you are working to put that in the past and move on with your life._"

"Try telling her that. She wanted to kill me the moment I mentioned who the father was . . . not that I blame her." Nethial's eyes briefly shimmered with held-back tears before she collected herself and rose from her seat. "I'll let you be alone for a while until Aurelia comes back. Tamli and I have something we need to talk about if I am allowed to stay here."

Growling softly in understanding, Narssia lowered her head onto her foretaloned legs before wishing her good health and letting her leave. Once Nethial left, she heard Arxa grumble about how she was too trusting and a low snarl rose from her throat. The spirit quickly apologized and she closed her eyes, allowing Arxa as much time as she could give to ensure the separation went smoothly.


	71. Bond

**Chapter 71-Bond**

Her body cradled by soft sheets as she slept in the same chamber with Tamli, Nethial twitched and rolled onto her side. Beads of sweat collected on her forehead as she cupped her hands together and a low murmur rose from her throat. It hadn't taken long for her metallic legs to be repaired and Tamli had made certain that Finca apologize for the incident. Resting in a chair that he had brought up from Aurelia's medical facilities at her request, Tamli watched her as worry kept him awake during the early hours of the morning. Two months had passed since he had discovered her hidden secret following the death of Tanui and there was no doubt that she was with child now as she looked to be in the sixth month of her pregnancy. Even with her carrying a hybrid fetus, he was still concerned for her health as she complained about back pain and had an unusual lack of energy that often resulted in her sleeping most of the time. Despite him not being the father, he took it upon himself to take care of her and had suggested she stay in his chambers since the large area had been built for two dragons to reside in. With Finca dead, he had no one to share the space with but decided to offer it to her out of good will. He had been surprised when she had admitted she had thought to ask him if he would let her use his quarters to stay in until the birth of her child and made sure Aurelia agreed before accepting her to reside where he did for as long as she wanted.

Running a hand through his hair, he stifled a yawn and watched as her metal legs kicked at the white blanket he had put at the foot of the cot in case she got cold. A small smile briefly lit his features before he lowered his risen arm back into his lap and turned his thoughts to how Narssia was handling herself. There was still no word on when a trial would start but he had noticed strange white patches all over her body and a slight enlargement of her abdomen that possibly hinted at her being gravid. He knew from talking with Geer that she was staying with the formerly blind dragon and watching over her two eggs but what interested him was that there had been no mention of the two mating. It wasn't any of his business to know but he had hoped Geer would have come to him before deciding to make love to the dragoness that had been through so much darkness during the last seven years.

Blinking, Tamli pressed his right shoulder blade harder into the soft material behind him and softly grunted as the motion jarred the Dragonisicm extract located there. His wounds were slowly healing but his back still bothered him and he suspected it always would as a lasting reminder of what he had been through. Resisting the urge to scratch the tender flesh as it throbbed slightly in pain, he nodded as he recalled that Reath and Ryta had begun to interact and Sitedal had been released to go finish the remainder of his healing while staying with Verdra, Seraphina and Ladetis. He also had heard that Aurelia and Dhran were thinking about trying for another child and it warmed his heart to realize that he had started this period of growth by becoming leader after the death of Uria on the field of battle. Taking over the position hadn't been easy but he had accepted it and found that Sitedal now treated him with respect and dignity.

A soft cry from Nethial broke him from his thoughts and Tamli focused his attention on her as he noticed her body tremble slightly. Concerned, he slid out of the chair and gradually walked over to her, having found that slower movements allowed him to keep his breath better and help limit the twinges of pain in his scarred back. His hand touched hers and he felt the heat they radiated from them while also detecting the slickness of her skin and determined she was experiencing another nightmare. It hadn't taken him long to discover she was still deeply affected by the way Ladetis had taken her legs and the first nightmares had started after only a few days of her sleeping in his room. He normally didn't walk over to her before they ended but she was getting close to carrying the child for four months and fears of what had happened to his own birth mother had made it difficult for him to sleep as he realized she was nearing the time Szara had told him that hybrid babies were ready and able to be born.

Pulling back the sheets to try and cool her off once she awoke from the dream, Tamli sat down on the edge of the cot and fought the urge to tenderly rub her swollen abdomen. He had offered to tell her the gender of the baby but she had declined and said she would rather see it with her own eyes when the child was born. Thinking about her stubbornness dampened his mood and he sighed, rubbing his right arm to help relieve some of the numbness that had settled in it during the night. Glancing at her metal legs, he observed the craftsmanship of the detailed work and realized that a clone had created it for her after she was separated from the pair Cambre had made in Tel-var. Sensing her heartbeat rise, he placed a hand over her own and silently waited until she woke up screaming as she always did after her nightmares. His gentle action reminded him of their younger years and he briefly smiled before one of her metal legs kicked him in the center of his back.

Biting back a scream of his own, Tamli lost his balance and fell to the floor as colors swam before his eyes. Hearing Nethial softly murmur his name, he was unsure of she was awake. Hissing in pain, he used the side of the cot to get onto his knees and blinked as a soft light flickered on beside the makeshift bed. Purple irises met grey ones as Nethial lay with a hand on a light stone Tamli had never seen in his chambers before.

"Sorry about kicking you," she apologized as she slid up to give him some space. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Those dreams just feel so real . . ."

"The one about Ladetis being down in the cave system with you and coming after you to burn you alive with acid?" His hand was gently cushioned by her own as Nethial took hold of it and helped pulled him up beside her. "Net, that was a traumatic experience for you. You can't expect it to just go away after only months."

Reluctantly rising into a sitting position, Nethial sighed in shame as her hands still warmed Tamli's own. "I know, Tal."

Hearing the old nickname she used to call him by caught Tamli off guard and he blinked, glancing at her in shock. "You remember that? I thought you wanted nothing more than to see me in misery . . ."

Nethial dropped his hand, laying hers over the damp sheets as she averted her gaze. "I'm not like that now. Corruption used my anger as a weapon and, as a result, I almost killed Raoul because of my rage against you."

Tamli placed a firm hand on her shoulder in comfort as he listened to her talk about the moment she forever damaged the relationship she had with Raoul. He had heard some of it from Finca before her death but he could only imagine how much guilt Nethial was under for what she had almost done to their son. Now he knew why Raoul had been so bitter when she first came to the Compound and understood the reason behind his son's harsh comment to him about being close to her again.

Noticing a tear threatening to fall from her eye, Tamli wiped it away with a finger before letting go of her shoulder and grasping hold of both her hands. Lifting her hands up between them, he smiled softly as he thought back to the last night they had spent together in paradise and knew she would recognize his behavior from that time in their lives. Gently pulling her over to him, he broke their physical contact seconds before he kissed her.

Her lips were as soft as he remembered but he soon tasted salty tears and pulled back to see she was quietly crying. Worried he had done something wrong, he started to slid back but was stopped as she reached for him and buried her head in his chest, her sobs becoming audible. Gently patting her back, he sighed and rested his head on her own.

"Net, what is it? I never saw you cry when we were young. Did I do something wrong? Is the baby hurt?"Tamli silently knew the fetus was fine but he thought maybe having her hear he was concerned for both of them might make Nethial open up to him about what caused her to suddenly start crying.

"We're both fine, Tal. It's just that Tanui never did this with me. Never took time just to sit and talk. I guess it's because we were on the run and then his mental state declined but I realize now that I missed this. You were always so gentle with me but that was before you knew you were a hybrid."She laughed softly, lifting her head back as Tamli lowered his to make direct eye contact. "After all we've been through, it come back to us being in a room together. I don't regret falling in love with Tanui but I felt lonely even when he was near me."

Tamli was about to speak when Nethial leaned in and kissed him back, her left hand rising up and gripping his right shoulder as her other hand rested on his chest. Breathless for a moment, he stared at her as she moved to showed him she had grabbed a white tunic from his own supply of clothes and had fallen asleep in it and a pair of shorts. He chided himself for thinking she had been undressed but had little time to even consider that as she kissed him again and pushed him back onto the cot, curling up beside him as her breath tickled his left ear.

"Times may have changed but you are still as easy as you were when we were kids," she remarked as his eyes followed the shape of her curves down to where her natural skin stopped and winced when her metal leg closest to him lightly smacked against his healing knee.

He softly hissed and glanced down to check on his still twisted knee while Nethial briefly grimaced in pain and moved her hands closer to his left shoulder. Satisfied he had avoided further injury, he turned his attention back to her and sighed as she placed her head on his chest. Her long nimble fingers danced over the black cloak he wore to protect her and the fetus from the Dragonisicm in his back and he thought for just a second about opening the material and letting her massage his chest as she had done in the past.

As if she had read his thoughts, her head lifted and her eyes narrowed in warning. "You know opening your cloak would put me at risk. I don't mind the close contact but I would like not to have to be rushed down to see Aurelia if at all possible Something tells me she wouldn't like to patch up broken bones this early in the morning."

Tamli nodded and ran his left hand across her back, feeling the amount of bones he could touch having increased since he had last helped Aurelia examine her. Szara had told him nothing about Autuma losing weight during her pregnancy with him but it was not enough to raise too much concern. He would simply make sure to get her some more food or ask Aurelia if she needed supplements to ensure the child was born healthy.

"Tal, didn't Geer say Narssia has been rather quiet the last couple of months? She should be happy that Sitedal and Ryta are alive to welcome her back into the company of others."

"I think he senses there's something else going on but I can't get him to tell me what he thinks. It's not normal for a dragon's scales to lose color and even more so for it to last several months." His hand stopped rubbing her back and Nethial shifted her weight to indicate that she had to use the bathroom he had adjacent to the large chamber.

Realizing her movement meant she was getting up, he offered to walk her over to the small area but she refused and insisted she was capable of handling it by herself. Moving out of her way, he watched her to make sure she made it to the bathroom before closing his eyes and reaching out to Geer, hoping the dragon would be awake. It didn't take long for the formerly blind scale-flier to answer his probing inquiry and he asked how Narssia had made it through the night.

"_She was unusually restless_," Geer replied as Tamli felt the damp sheets around him. "_How about Nethial?_"

"_Fair enough. She was about to wake up screaming from the nightmare but she lashed out with her metal leg and kicked me instead. I guess the jolt broke her out of the dream and she apologized for her impulsive action. She struck me right in the center of my back, right where a large portion of the Dragonisicm is. I'm surprised I didn't pass out right there._"

"_Wait a minute, she kicked you?_" Geer's pause gave way to amusement as Tamli realized the dragon found it funny that he had gotten hit by his former love. "_Nethial actually kicked you? Well I guess that blew off some steam. Anything else? I know you're about ready to drop from sleep exhaustion, Tamli. She'll be just fine._"

Gingerly rubbing his shoulder from where Nethial had dug her fingers into before she had shoved him onto the cot with her, Tamli dimly nodded. "_There's something going on, Geer. Those spots on Narssia aren't normal and I worry more each day for Nethial. Let me know if you notice anything else._"

As Geer promised he would keep him informed, Tamli heard a scream come from the bathroom and he froze, panic washing over him as he remembered that Szara had said she tried to get Autuma help in time but was unable to and watched as the life drained from her. His hands clutched the white sheets beside him as he stared towards the direction of the side room to see Nethial had closed it to give herself privacy. The second scream, although softer than the first, finally broke him out of his dazed state and he ran to her. Stopping at the door and trying to unlock it with a twist of the knob, he heard metal bindings snap as he braced himself before pulling the wood back towards him and having it snap in half and smack him in the face,

Thrown onto his back from the force of the impact, he heard Nethial crying as he tried to get his dazed mind and body back into action to save her and the baby. Sitting up, his breath caught in his throat and he fell into a coughing spasm, nearly falling back onto the floor as he fought to get to his feet. Now winded and struggling to get a clear breath, Tamli managed to get on his hands and knees and crawl over to Nethial as he found her laying in the middle of the bathroom floor with both hands on her abdomen and a faint mist of blood oozing from between a metal strap across her pelvic and hip bones to ensure her metal legs stayed where they were supposed to and not fall apart.

"Net . . ." he wheezed, hearing the words Szara had used echo ominously in the back of his mind as he dropped to the floor beside her and finally managed to get a clear breath of air.

Reaching out to Geer again, Tamli hoped he could manage to say what he needed to before passing out as his back started to sent spikes of pain down his spine. The dragon was slower to respond this time but after hearing only that Tamli thought Nethial had gone into labor, he promised he would find Aurelia and be right there to help. Thanking Geer, a wave of dizziness passed over Tamli before he blacked out . . .

* * *

><p>Nethial was dimly aware of what was going on around her as Aurelia and Geer came and picked up her and Tamli, rushing them into the room she knew all too well from the number of times she had been due to the strict promise the healer had said she would keep based on what had happened to the woman that gave birth to Tamli. The only thing that keep her awake was the pain in her abdomen and the feeling that her legs would need to be taken off so she could deliver her baby into the world. Squeezing her eyes shut, she cried as a contraction nearly took her breath and she tried to fight against it. Her instincts screamed at her that she shouldn't be delivering her second child into the world this soon but the knowledge that the offspring was a hybrid made everything different.<p>

Being carried by Aurelia as Geer had Tamli on his back, Nethial heard the healer start to snap orders as she was being put down on a sterilized table. She vaguely understood the words as she slowly opened her eyes to glance and see that Tamli had been placed on a similar table next to her on his side. Her gaze swept across his face in mild panic before she realized he had fallen unconscious right as he had reached her. Even with his black cloak tightly on, she could barely make out a pulsating glow from various parts of his back and quickly remembered that Dragonisicm extract lined the area to limit his healing and restrict him from doing even ordinary things.

Aurelia spread her legs before growling under her breath and glaring at her as Nethial briefly looked back at the healer before returning her attention to Tamli. The metal bars between her legs were there to keep them in place, not that she had expected to be pregnant when she had asked Gregal to include that in the new design. She heard Tamli's breath catch momentarily in his throat before he coughed and jolted upright. Geer was immediately at his side and trying to convince him to take it slow but his eyes found hers and she knew he was feeling guilty for not having walked with her instead of checking in with the formerly blind dragon about Narssia.

"We're going to have to take those legs off," Aurelia grumbled as Nethial noticed Tamli seem to grimace in pain and wondered how badly his back was hurting him. "I know I don't have the strength to do such a thing though."

"You saw the door as you entered," Tamli whispered as Geer retreated a step in defeat. "I did that before half of it broke and smacked me to the ground. Let me help, please."

Nethial noticed there was a pleading tone to his voice as he spoke and silently wished Aurelia didn't hear it. She hadn't expected to hear him so vulnerable with her life being in the balance. It almost brought a smile to her face but another contraction seized her and she screamed, trying to force herself to keep her baby in until they decided what to do with her legs.

Aurelia's disgusted huff proved enough of a sign for Tamli as he slid off the table and walk over to her. His hand touched Nethial's leg as she panted and a gentle nod from him told her that he was willing to do anything to keep her safe and make sure she survived having her baby. The first pull he made sent pain shooting from her hips and she knew he had tried using the two bars themselves as the part he had grabbed hold of. A low moan escaped her as he tried again and she heard the sound of metal clicking and sliding out - the sound of her legs detaching from her natural flesh.

Before she could whisper her thanks to him, another contraction hit and Aurelia commanded her to push before shoving Tamli out of the way and helping to coax her through the process of delivering her hybrid baby. Concerned for Tamli as she heard him growl in pain and silently worried that he had fallen to the floor, Nethial tried to find him with her eyes as she half-heartedly followed the healer's wishes. When a scarred hand rose into the air from the location he had fallen to, she relaxed and turned her attention to having her child.

* * *

><p>Narssia lay on her side in Geer's chamber as pain threatened to overtake her. She had believed Arxa when the spirit had said several hours or several days but it had been two months and she was growing tried of the white spots on her scales. Her beauty had never bothered her before but it worried her that her darker half was lagging behind because it enjoyed her body as its home.<p>

'**_Arxa_**,' she snarled softly inside her mind. '**_Hurry up. I'm getting tired of this._**'

She expected the spirit to snap back with a harsh remark but was surprised when she got no reply and sensed nothing in her mind that would indicate Corruption's presence. A low growl of surprise rippled from her throat as she tenderly poked at her abdomen with a single claw to confirm that there was an egg in there. Arxa was finally ready then and she was about to become a parent to the very creature that had nearly killed her.

The first spasm of pain from her underside caught her off guard and a soft growl tore from her throat before she could stop herself. She had laid eggs before but they had come from males she had mated with and not from the very darkness itself. Explaining this to Geer would be almost impossible if he happened to walk in on her.

Shaking her head, she hissed and used the natural contractions of her body to help further the egg along. Her thoughts briefly turned to Nethial and she wondered when the baby was going to be born but decided to worry about it after she had finished laying Arxa's egg. Digging her talons into the floor, she moved around to rest on her belly and arched her back as a slight shake of one of the eggs from Windra caught her attention.

Everything in her screamed that it was wrong for those eggs to be hatching right now but she could do nothing but stay where she was and finish breaking her last ties to Arxa. Another shake of the egg brought out an irritated growl from her as she slapped her tail against the floor and fought the urge to shriek as a stronger contraction sent ripples through her body. Scraping against the floor, she crawled forward towards her soon to be hatched offspring as pain from her abdomen jostled her with every movement she made.

Another roar rippled from her throat as she jerked violently to the side and lay trying to catch her breath. Several more contractions caused her tender underside to burn with pain as she waited for them to stop. Chest heaving, she closed her eyes and brought her forelegs to rest beside her as a feeling of something gradually sliding out soothed her worried mind.

Giving everything she had left in one final push, she heard the sound of an eggshell hitting the floor and knew she could breath easier with her mind now her own for the first time in years. She searched until her gaze came to a dark grey egg and fear crept into her gut at seeing the shell was entirely one color. Normally the eye and scale color of the hatchling was represented but one with neither meant that something had gone wrong during development for the protective coating to be dull.

She used her tail to bring the egg over to her and sniffed it before realizing the two others had stopped and returned to being silent. Wondering if she had imagined them moving, she heard a tiny squeak from the one with green tint and knew that they would soon hatch.

* * *

><p>Nethial knew something was wrong when the pain stopped and she felt almost weightless. Her eyes were open but she couldn't turn her head - although she could still look around a limited field of vision. Tamli had been put back on his table but he was either asleep or unconscious again as she glanced to see Aurelia's arms and hands covered in blood. She knew that blood had to be from her and felt a shiver go down her spine at the sight of it. The woman who had given her Tamli in the first place had died during his birth but that had been because medicine was not far enough advanced to save her life back then.<p>

She dimly heard Aurelia ask for something but couldn't make out what the request was and chose to ignore it as she stared down at the stumps of her legs and the crimson liquid flowing freely from between them. Part of her was rattled by the idea she might die before even giving birth but she took a deep breath and reasoned that it could be healed before things got out of hand.

The pain flooded back to her as a strong contraction nearly had her bend over in agony and a scream tore from her lips as Aurelia glanced worriedly between her and Tamli. Getting a momentary pause, Nethial glanced at the father of her first child and noticed he hadn't moved since she had been jolted out of her pain-free state. It worried her but she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by him when she had to deliver her baby or else risky serious complications.

"Nethial, come on. Just a little bit more and I can see its head. You're doing a great job." Aurelia's praise meant little to her as Nethial let the tears flow from her eyes as a series of short contractions left her winded.

She wanted to hit something but she restrained herself and clenched her hands into fists as Aurelia asked her to push harder. Focusing herself on surviving the birth, she used her memories of Tanui to give her a reason to work with her body and free the life she had inside. As she started to ready herself for another contraction, Nethial heard a low growl from Geer and turned her head to sense Finca venturing near.

"_Mother, now is not the time. Nethial is in a dangerous position right now and I cannot afford to have extra stress on her-_"Geer began but a soft growl from Finca silenced him as Nethial screamed and tried to fight against the contraction.

'**I come for Tamli, not the former rider. Nethial's will is strong but I sense my love is giving up hope**,' Finca whispered softly as Aurelia cleared her throat.

"Tamli has been like that ever since I shoved him out of the way and Geer had to drag him back on the table. He doesn't blink, doesn't move, and just stays there like he's waiting to die."

'**That would be the obvious assessment, healer. It seems Tamli is willing to do anything to have Nethial not end up as his birth mother did upon the delivery of the hybrid fetus.**'

Grunting, Nethial glanced at Tamli to confirm what Finca had said was true. He did look nearly dead, although tiny particles of white light were slowly flickering towards his right hand as it hung off the side of the table. Interested by the discovery, her eyes watched the gleaming specks as they shimmered around his flesh - forming a barrier around that particular piece of him. She wasn't sure why it seemed to be alerted to her presence and glow a little bit brighter but another contraction soon returned her to the fact that she was weakening and there had been only a small amount of progress made on delivering her baby.

Nethial realized Geer had noticed it as well as the dragon's eyes flickered from Tamli's hand to her. "_Mother, is it possible that Tamli is attempting to do what Uria did when he tore a portion of his essence from his body and gave it to Tronay so she would continue to live?_"

'**Possible? I am uncertain, my son. As you know, I was not aware of the risk Uria took until years later due to Szara's possession of me during that time.**' She paused for a moment, gaze flickering to Aurelia. '**The amount of energy required for him to do that would . . . would kill him.**'

"We are not ending any lives just to save two!"

Nethial was surprised by the venom in Aurelia's voice, glancing at Geer to see the formerly blind dragon was also shocked by the response from their healer. She knew that Nathaniel's mother was a reborn dragon in human skin but she wondered why the strong attachment to Tamli. What made the hybrid different than her or her unborn child? Shaking her head in confusion, Nethial tensed as a strong mental presence rammed against her mind and nearly rendered her unconscious from the force of the attack.

Holding off the attack as best she could, she waited until it temporarily faded to fight back and return the mental assault. The one that had come after her had weak defenses and she was easily able to break down any opposing walls, discovering quickly that Tamli was the individual who had sought her out in such a violent matter. Nethial's shock echoed clear to the weakened hybrid and he chuckled softly in muted amusement.

'**What is there to find humor in? You attacked me mentally, Tamli! That is a direct path to confrontation, or has the time spent away from our ancient home dulled your senses?**'

'**_Forgive me, Net_**,' Tamli apologized as he quieted and Nethial felt for a moment the pain that racked his body from the Dragonisicm's contact with his flesh. '**_I swore to myself night after night that I would protect you and make sure you never had to go through what Autuma did. Now I see that even I cannot stop the laws of nature . . ._**'

Alarmed by how quickly Tamli seemed to be losing hope, Nethial commented, '**Who says it is over? I noticed your . . . . aura, is it? Your life force swirling around your right hand. Planning to sacrifice everything to keep me safe? Tal, not even my life is more important than your own. I cannot justify letting you die just so I survive childbirth.**'

'**_Net, this is about more than just your survival. I wish there was another way but we both know your body is giving up. The shell you were restored into cannot handle the strain of delivering the hybrid fetus. Without my help, both you and your child will die._**' Tamli's voice softened, reminding Nethial of the nights they used to spend together back in paradise before he left her alone and pregnant with Raoul.

Shaking her head, Nethial dimly heard Aurelia asking her to push and knew Tamli was right. Her body was becoming less and less able to cope with the strain. If something wasn't done soon, her and her baby's life would be over. A strong will would never overcome a weakening body, no matter how much she tried to fight for her survival.

'**Tal, this will kill you, won't it?**' She asked as a quiet sight from her former love confirmed what she had suspected from the very beginning. '**You love me more than your own life . . . You have always felt that way about me. I treated you horribly but you would give up everything to see me safe.**'

'**_I knew this time would come so I made something for you. When you are able, go to my chamber and find a long black cloak pressed in between two rocks. Open it up and retrieve my blade and the object I crafted for you . . ._**' Tamli paused for a moment and Nethial felt a stab of pain from his back break through their mental connection. '**_I feel so guilty that I would be so selfish as to prevent your own partner of mind from coming to you as you died. Attor must have held a grudge against me for years because of that . . _**'

Nethial nodded, seeing the light around his hand glimmer and pulse as if it was a living thing. '**He understood your reasons for doing it and so do I. Never would I have thought that this was how we would end up separated again, our roles reversed. I was going to have you be the one to raise my child if I didn't survive . . . but now I will honor your sacrifice by choosing a fitting name.**'

'**_I am honored, dear one. Go ahead and take my hand. The energy there will be more than enough for you to survive and ensure the delivery of your baby_**,' Tamli whispered as Nethial closed her eyes and reached for him. '**_Nethial Asburo, you were the one that first stole my heart and it is because of you that I established a legacy all my own._**'

Nethial felt Tamli ease away from her mind as her left hand grabbed his right and a comforting warmth spread through her entire body. She heard Aurelia mutter something softly but turned her head to watch the life drain from the man she had loved. Her attention stayed on the hybrid well after his hand slipped from her grasp but the soft cry of a newborn captured her attention.

Her eyes turned to see Aurelia and she glimpsed a bundle wrapped in white cloth in the healer's arms. Nethial also noticed that unmarked, lightly tan skin flowed from her hips downward and realized Tamli's gift to her had been the restoration of her natural legs as they were before Ladetis had melted them with acid. She was certain her mouth was open in surprise and shock but she could care less as the small baby was passed over to her and she gently sat up to feel the coolness of the metal under her new flesh.

A soft bubbling cry rose from inside the white cloth and Nethial opened it partially to see two amber colored irises staring back at her with wonder. She wasn't aware she had even begun to cry until she heard her tears hit the table underneath. Easing her newborn into her arms, she noticed a tuft of white hair sticking up on top of her baby's head.

'**I do not wish to know what was exchanged between you and Tamli prior to his death but congratulations on the successful birth of your new daughter**,' Finca growled as Nethial glanced to see the paleness of Tamli's skin and knew the tender tone from the dragoness spirit was forced.

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the back of her throat a little dry. "Aurelia, would you mind getting me some water?"

With a nod, the healer briefly left to find a glass and fill it while Nethial lowered the white cloth and made it into a makeshift diaper so she could see her baby completely. The skin on its arms and legs were unusually red and as she ran a finger across them, the reason was obvious. Being a hybrid, her new daughter's arms and legs were covered in dozens of tiny red scales that, while not fully developed, would make the child instantly noticeable.

"So what are you going to name her?" Aurelia asked as she returned with a cup of water and helped Nethial drink it.

"Ilma . . . Nosma . . .Asburo . . ." Nethial replied slowly as the name came to her, realizing very few would understand the hidden meaning behind the unusual name.

'**Beloved one . . . A true way to remember the sacrifice Tamli made to ensure you and her would live to see another day**,' Finca hummed softly as Geer left to go check on Narssia.

Aurelia nodded in agreement with Finca. "An interesting name, Net- I mean Nethial. Sorry, Tamli's tender nickname for you just rubs off after a while."

"I don't mind, Aurelia," Nethial admitted as she carefully cradled her newborn. "Tamli's sacrifice gave me her and also restored what was once taken from me . . ."

'**Yes, the recovery of your legs is to be prized**,' Finca hissed softly in muted interest as Nethial glared at her. '**If you hadn't come back, Tamli would still be alive now and-**'

"And be yours?" Nethial questioned as she shifted, hearing her baby yawn and bury its head in her chest. "The clones would have attacked regardless, Finca! My restoration to life means nothing compared to what Amia's plan was. There's a chance Tanui might not have been so mentally unstable when they attacked but a fight between the two would still have happened. It was your selfishness that forced Tamli to deal with Tanui in the first place! From what I heard, he would have been fine with leaving them alone as long as they stayed away from his family but you had to complicate things by running after him when Amia lured him to the ruins of Misery's lab."

'**He had no memory at that time!**' Finca snapped back, chilling the room in her anger as her essence responded to her emotions. '**Tamli was vulnerable and Amia took advantage of him in that weakened state. He would have been killed by the grief-stricken former rider if Tanui had not stepped in and killed Amia.**'

"I am aware of that, Finca. Tanui told me it was out of self-perseveration that he chose to save Tamli's life and kill his creator."

"Finca," Aurelia muttered, "maybe we should give Nethial time to recover? She did just deliver a baby-"

'**A child she would never have delivered if Tamli hadn't killed himself to allow it to be so. Why can't you see that she is as manipulative now as she was back during the years of her youth?**'

Nethial sighed, running a finger over her baby's soft hair as she listened to the stubborn dragoness. Finca had little to argue against her but it did make her uneasy to heard the irritate spirit bring up her past. Those memories and that time were meant to stay buried - although some refused to accept locking away their ancient thoughts and emotions so they could use them against those that were unable to defend themselves.

Tired of hearing the same arguments again and again, Nethial lifted her head and straightened up. "Finca, let the past stay in the past. I have just as many reasons to be bitter about things that happened but I don't let my emotions overrun how I react-"

'**And you think I do?**' Finca hissed as Aurelia stepped away to give them some privacy to work out their issues. '**Don't forget that it was your death that pushed Tamli to slowly consider a relationship with me as he was tortured by Amia for thousands of years inside that one body with two other different souls to keep him company. You never had the pleasure of seeing his memories of that time . . . but I understand you were broken during the years you spent in a state of limbo with only Corruption by your side**.'

Startled by the words she had heard from Finca, Nethial blinked and clung tight to her baby with her left arm to rub the back of her neck with her right hand before lowering it back to cradle her newborn. "How did you find out about that? I keep my knowledge of that time in my life closely guarded and almost never say anything about it . . ."

'**I figured it out from the way you spoke. Anyone with a brain can see you shy away from anything resembling a reference to our ancient home. Putting the pieces together showed me that you consider it a traumatic time in your life and refuse to tell anyone about what happened to make you so anti-social.**'

"Finca, let Nethial rest. I know you have unresolved issues with her but she almost died!" Aurelia pleaded as the deceased dragoness ignored her request.

'**Listen, Nethial. I may have nearly ripped your artificial legs to pieces before but now I can make you bleed to death if I so chose. Do not cross my path again or you may deeply regret it.**' Snorting, Finca turned around and departed, leaving Nethial uneasy and concerned for her new daughter.


	72. Dark Vengeance

**Chapter 72-Dark Vengeance**

Narssia was asleep when Geer first arrived, her tail protectively wrapped around Arxa's egg as the two she had from her mating with Windra quivered. Upon hearing one of the eggs start to crack, Geer approached the black dragoness and woke her by pressing the tip of his snout against her own. A low hiss from her told him she was waking up and he glanced over at her tail to see the grey egg that she guarded so fiercely. He hadn't mated with her for several reasons since she started using his quarters as her own but the appearance of the egg worried him.

"_The eggs are hatching_," he remarked as he backed away and curled up on the floor, tired from having been up so early to deal with Nethial and Tamli.

"_I can see that_." The venom in her tone surprised him and Geer glanced up at her to see she was tending to the new egg rather than observing the hatching of the other two.

"_Narssia, talk to me, please. I can see that you are exhausted so just listen to me then. Why are you so fiercely guarding the egg in your grasp when you are about to have two newly hatched offspring to instruct and teach?_" Geer asked as Narssia growled at him and pulled Arxa's egg closer to her side.

Narssia sighed, closing her eyes as she loosened her grip on the egg just enough to have it rest beside her. "_I . . . I can't tell you. Just trust my word, Geer. When all of this is over, I will tell you everything you need to know._"

Slapping his tail on the ground in anger, Geer snarled as he stood and approached her. "_Why can't you tell me now then? Does it have something to do with Arxa? I suspect Tamli was right when he made the comment he could sense that dark presence inside your-_"

Unaware of her own actions, Narssia roared and spat a fireball directly at Geer's chest. As the dragon stumbled backwards in shock, she got to her feet and sprang at him, pining him to the ground with a taloned foreleg on his exposed throat. Staring down into his eyes, she snarled and opened her maw but hesitated and seemed to regain her senses. Backing away from him, she lowered her head and averted her gaze as he rolled onto his side and watched the timidness of her years as a hatchling return.

"_I'm sorry. I just reacted on instinct and-_"

"_And I pushed you to that extreme_," Geer growled softly as he forced himself onto his feet and approached her, unfolding a wing and draping it over her in comfort. "_I forced myself past boundaries I should not have crossed and I suppose I am the one that should be asking forgiveness. All I want is to help you, Nar . . . you know that deep down_."

A low mournful growl rose from her throat as Narssia glanced to her eggs to see one lined with cracks and the other quivering heavily. With a sharp crack, the black egg violently shattered to reveal a pitch-dark dragonet with green eyes as it blinked and stumbled forward on unsteady legs. Geer hummed warmly as the little hatchling made its way over to them and watched as Narssia lifted a foretaloned leg and lightly ran her claws over the stubby four nubs on the top of its head that would eventually become long horns as it grew.

Suddenly the second egg cracked open to reveal a tiny gray dragoness as the just hatched youngling lay sprawled out on its back. Taking a moment to draw its first breath, the little dragonet blinked to show that its irises were a glistening yellow. Although smaller than her sibling, the new she-dragon bore a similar trait to Windra by having two nubs along the back of her head which would become beautiful ivory horns later on during its life.

"_We now have two little ones to join the Compound_," Geer growled as he lifted his wing and folded it back against his side, stepping back to allow Narssia time with her new offspring. "_A brother and sister born out of the ashes of tragedy . . ._"

"_What tragedy?_" Narssia asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as her daughter rolled over onto its stomach and shoved itself onto its feet to join the black hatchling.

A soft sigh from Geer seemed to attract the gray hatchling as she slowly made her way over to him. "_I was meaning to tell you this later but Tamli is dead. He sacrificed his life to help ensure Nethial delivered her child without complication . . ._"

Glancing at the silent dark gray egg that lay in the corner where she had been resting when Geer had first entered, Narssia hesitated before whispering softly, "_Arxa isn't dead, Geer. The egg I was guarding when you entered - that's her now. She told me that she could separate from me and give me back my life and I trusted her enough to allow it_."

"_That's why you wouldn't talk about it when I first asked_," Geer snorted quietly as Narssia twitched the end of her tail and focused her attention on her new descendants. "_You were afraid she'd find out and come after you when the time was right._"

"_She threatened to harm the eggs, Geer. I couldn't place innocent lives at risk so I did what I could to make it seem like she was gone . . ._" Narssia muttered softly, noticing that her new daughter had crawled up in front of Geer's forepaws and sat down.

"_So those words you said when you awoke after fighting her . . . they weren't from you?_" Geer asked as Narssia felt resentment ripple out from the formerly blind dragon and she shrunk back. "_You knew even before you regained consciousness that she still existed! Why betray all that your sons worked so hard for? When I brought you to Aurelia, your unconscious form on my back, I pleaded with our ancestors to let you finally escape the darkness that had held you captive for years . . . Now you tell me you had decided your course of action nearly as soon as I killed Jormundur to save your life._"

Roaring in anger, Geer stepped over the resting dragonet at his feet and walked over to where Arxa's egg lay unprotected. Narssia retreated a step as the words cut deeply into her recovering persona, unable to stop herself from quivering in fright. She wanted him to understand but, with his position so close to Arxa, revealing anything might further put the dark egg at risk of being shattered. Unwilling to accept that outcome, she slid her newly hatched son aside so he wouldn't be hurt before closing her eyes and lowering the tip of her snout to her chest in submission.

"_Don't harm her. You can inflict your anger on me but leave her out of it. It was my decision to have this happen, Geer. I knew there would be certain risks when I told her to do what she must and separate from me. My decision wasn't made until I fought with Arxa in the dreamscape. I had every intension to kill her and finally be able to live my own life. Everything changed the moment she pinned me down and told me that I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of knowing I had killed an innocent soul . . ._"

Shaking his head, Geer snapped, "_An innocent soul is the farthest thing from Arxa! She is a poison, crafted by Corruption to make you weak and easy to manipulate. Why can't you see that? She used your inward compassion to avoid her own death, Narssia_."

"_You don't understand . . ._" Narssia whispered, opening her eyes and glancing up at him. "_Arxa isn't a monster . . ._"

"_Narssia_," Geer scoffed, briefly unfolding his wings to stretch the agitated muscles. "_You do realize she lead your son astray and left Ladetis unable to fly. She is a creature of darkness, a vengeful entity formed from . . ._" Hesitating, Geer couldn't admit to her that he knew the darkness for Arxa's creation had come directly from Narssia through her years of being bonded to the one that had caused the destruction of their beloved ancient home.

Taking a step back, Narssia seemed to retreat into herself even as her eyes flickered to the dark egg that contained Arxa's now free spirit. Geer narrowed his eyes, unsure how she would try to act next. Shifting his left foreleg closer to the defenseless eggshell, he watched as her eyes widened and a soft snarl rose from deep in her throat.

"_Back away from the egg_," she rasped as she bared her teeth and raised her head back to normal height, her tone reflecting the darker persona she had co-existed with for years.

Refusing to budge from his position, Geer glanced at the object next to him for a moment before returning his gaze to Narssia. "_Or what? You know your current condition leaves you unable to compete with me as far as strength. Arxa was always the fighter between you two . . ._"

"_That doesn't mean I am unable to defend myself_," Narssia spat back, taking a step forward to protect her former dark half from being killed.

Snorting in amusement, Geer raised his head as a tiny spark of electricity flickered from his nostrils. "_I immobilized you once and I can do it again . . . This egg that rests besides me needs to be destroyed before Arxa rises up and enslaves all of us to do her bidding. Face that facts, Narssia! She was and always will be pure evil!_"

"_You're wrong. Arxa is-_"

A loud squeak from her new daughter abruptly cut off Narssia and she glanced to make sure the tiny gray dragoness wasn't injured. During their conversation, the dragonet had crawled over to Arxa's egg and had pawed at it with a scaled forepaw, only to receive a shock in retaliation. Now on its back, both adult scale-fliers watched as glowing blue lines began to appear on the youngling's right flank.

"_What is that?_" Narssia asked in shock as her eyes flickered from Arxa's egg to her daughter and back again, trying to understand just what happened.

"_I know that some dragons before they hatched could tap into their elemental powers at random but . . . Could it be to give another a second ability?_" Geer muttered softly as Narssia quickly glanced at her black-scaled son to see he was still where she had pushed him.

Humming quietly at realizing one of her children knew what was good for them, she noticed him yawn and then curl up on the cold stone of the room's floor. Sighing, Narssia knew she was as equally tired but couldn't afford to give Geer anything more to use as a weapon against her. They were already on opposing sides concerning Arxa and how she had handled the time leading up to the delivery of the egg of the malicious essence.

Glancing closer at the strange symbols on her daughter's hide, Narssia blinked before hissing in anger. "_Geer, do you understand what the symbols mean? I can read them just fine but I want to know if your knowledge of the ancient tongue of paradise also allows you to understand their odd way of writing._"

Shaking his head to admit he was unfamiliar with the old language used by their ancestors, Narssia sighed as she scanned over the fragmented words laying out before her. "_Fine, then. I suppose I'll just have to translate them_," she growled in muted anger. "_Let's see here . . . **'My promise is broken. Darkness is all I-'**_" Narssia stopped, staring in horror at the words as she realized Arxa was using her daughter like a canvas to communicate.

"_It seems those words are meant only for you_," Geer commented as he realized she wasn't going to tell him the rest of the message. "_Pity the dark spirit can't even speak up to defend her own actions . . ._"

A shrill shriek rose from the gray dragonet as she suddenly twisted and turned before becoming still. Worried, Narssia took a step forward just as a dark mist, the same she had seen back in the dreamscape, seemed to rise up from the ground and envelope the tiny hatchling. Geer lifted his forepaw closest to the egg, hovering it over the defenseless protection for the black spirit with the intent to crush it. As he began to lower his risen limb, shadowy vines erupted from underneath him and wrapped completely around him so he couldn't even move any part of his body.

"_Arxa_," Narssia whispered as she recognized the way the dark energy acted as it pulsed around both her daughter and Geer's captive form.

'**I am more than capable of speaking for myself, runt**.' Arxa spat as she used the gray dragoness as her mouthpiece, her egg shimmering with a dark aura. Turning her attention to her former host, the dark spirit continued, '**And I have not ignored the fact that you told Geer directly what happened between us. What I told you in the dreamscape was to be kept secret, Narssia!**'

"_Forgive me, dark one_," Narssia muttered softly as she lowered her head out of submission. "_I knew I had to confide in someone after you took too much-_"

The pained shriek of her daughter told Narssia more than what Arxa's dark growl did seconds later. Her new family was paying the price for her mistake and the torment would not cease until she asked her former mind-partner for forgiveness towards her actions. Even with knowing what she had to do, there was still a part of her that wanted to rebel against the malicious presence but she could not afford to have the death of her own offspring on her conscious because her stubborn will refused to submit to the essence of Corruption.

'**You dare to defy my commands!**' Arxa hissed as Narssia watched her daughter writhe in agony as the dark energy around it grew heavier and more oppressive. '**Has our brief time separated given you the brash idea that you can compete against me? I am what made you, weakling!**'

"_Arxa, listen, please. I have done nothing but defend you when Geer went after me upon knowing you were still alive. I pleaded with him to understand my reasons for not killing you and to accept that I had made the right decision at a time when I easily could have removed you from my life forever_," Narssia softly growled as the gray dragonet held in the grasp of her darker half's powers whimpered in pain.

A quietness seemed to come over Arxa as Narssia quickly glanced to see her son yawn and curl up, his actions bringing a softly tender growl from her before she returned her attention to her daughter to see the shadows had faded slightly. Taking a risk by reaching out and touching the mind of her captive offspring, she tried to comfort her frightened and scared child but was met with too much fear to even help coax the little dragonet into believing everything was going to work out without her getting hurt. Feeling uncertain over how she was supposed to convince the dark essence to let its mouthpiece go, Narssia sighed as her eyes flickered over to the egg that contained Arxa.

Lifting her head back up, she stared at the egg with disgust and snarled softly, taking a step towards where Arxa's essence resided. A muffled whimper from her daughter caused her to momentarily pause but Narssia realized what she had to do and continued over to where the egg was. Exchanging a look with Geer, his eyes narrowed in fury and attention focused on the object he had been trying to smash, she lifted her tail and turned slightly before bringing down the muscular part of the appendage on the eggshell.

Hearing the protection around the dark spirit's new form crack, Narssia caught her daughter with a gentle cushion of air as Arxa's power fled from the little dragonet and felt Geer collapse to the floor as the shadowy vines retracted. Approaching the scared dragoness, she nuzzled her offspring as it turned its tear-filled yellow eyes to her.

"_I promise I will never let anything harm you, dear one_," Narssia hummed softly as she pulled her daughter close and wrapped her wings around the tiny dragonet.

Taking a glance back at Geer, Narssia noticed his gaze was still on Arxa's egg. Confused, she followed his gaze until she noticed that, while she had managed to smash a good size chunk into the top of the egg, a dark mist had rose up from underneath the floor and repaired the damage she had done. An angry growl rippled from her throat at seeing even she was unable to harm the spirit while it thrived in its new form.

"_The dark one's power is beyond our own now_," Geer remarked as Narssia watched him get to his feet and subconsciously tensed as he neared her. Upon realizing she was uneasy around him, the formerly blind dragon snorted softly before whispering, "_You have every right to be afraid of me Nar, but I promise I was only acting in anger towards Arxa and not you. I felt a connection with you the moment I chose to save your life from Jormundur and that feeling has only strengthened with time_."

"_How can I trust you to keep your word? Geer, the creature that was once my dark half has more power than most of our race put together. In being born from Corruption's darkness, Arxa has an unlimited potential for magic . . . much like we witnessed. She is not even hatched yet and already she shows that I pale in comparison to the skills she has through instinct alone_."

Ignoring the fact that Narssia flinched as he extended a wing and draped it over her protectively, Geer glanced at the little dragoness protectively shielded by its mother before humming in contentment. "_I believe I may have a name for your daughter, if you wish to accept it. When I would speak with Tamli, he often mentioned how proud your mother would have been if she could see you now. In curiosity, I asked him what the name of your mother was and he told me after making me promise to not say anything until dark forces revealed themselves upon the land once more. Knowing that Tamli was becoming nearly as cryptic as Mirage prior to his recent death, I realize now that he was referring to Arxa making herself known to us. In saying that, I am free to tell you that the name of your mother was Ilena, Nar._"

"_Ilena . . . I never knew my mother but the name is perfect_," Narssia admitted as she exchanged a look with Geer before lowering her snout to lick her daughter's hide where the glowing blue marks still resided. "_As for the male, I was thinking something along the lines of Nurus, or Nuri for short_."

Geer nodded, glancing at the sleeping dragonet as he growled softly, "_I agree with the name choice. Ilena and Nurus will have both of us to instruct and raise them. I know you worry about how things turned out with the last dragon that became your mate but his death was caused solely by Arxa, Nar_."

Lifting her head, Narssia closed her eyes as she sighed. "_I know I shouldn't blame myself for Raxmon dying but I . . . I was the one that helped to create that monster in the first place, Geer. It's all my fault that innocent lives were slain just because my bitterness combined with the darkness in my heart left from my time with my rider . . ._"

Moving his snout under her own, Geer gently eased her back from Ilena and noticed she seemed to obey his commands without any arguing. As she let her wings drag along the floor with their retreat backwards to give the dragonet some room to her own, he used the position of his maw to lift her head. Watery eyes met him as Narssia slowly blinked and gazed at him with a mix of confusion and complete exhaustion.

"_You aren't the one to blame, Nar_," Geer reassured her as he felt her tremble and pushed his snout up against her lower jaw. "_Listen to me, Arxa did that because she is nothing but bitter and evil. Darkness is the only thing that **parasite **knows . . . I can sense that you agree with me in some aspects_."

"_How I can even bring myself to stand before Ilena and Nurus and tell them that I will keep them safe when I cannot even guarantee my own safety?_" Narssia softly whispered, her voice barely loud enough for Geer to understand.

Glancing down at her trembling legs, Narssia saw a faint layer of shadows wrap around her talons. The sight immediately reminded her of what Arxa had said in the dreamscape and she quivered, reflectively jerking back as a worried growl from Geer caused her to remember his snout was under her lower jaw. Lifting her head away from him, she averted her gaze as she knew he was concerned for her and stared down at the floor, trying to force the darkness around her talons to retreat back where they had come from.

"_I want you to lock me up_," she finally admitted after several minutes, her eyes never straying from the stone floor under her. "_Before you question me, let me explain. I have powers I have no idea how to use or control. The . . . shadows you see around my claws are but one example of this. I will not risk placing the lives of my offspring in danger just so I can remain with you, all the while fearing that I could lose control and harm them without even knowing that I did._"

Geer was hesitant to reply, confusion coating his words as he struggled to make sense of what he had just heard from her. "_Nar, why do you ask this of me? We can find someone to help you learn to control your-_"

Without giving him a chance to finish trying to persuade her into staying by his side, Narssia growled and snapped at him, barely missing the tip of his snout by mere inches. "_Lock me up_," she repeated, snarling softly as an inner fury blazed behind her topaz irises.

"_I can't bring myself to do it_," Geer confessed as he retreated a step and slid his tail around to rest by his right hind leg. "_I know this isn't what you want. Something is making you react like this and I don't know what it is but I wish you'd listen to me instead. I . . . have fallen for you, Narssia. Even with everything that Arxa did, I found my heart captured by you and now I can't leave. I am as entwined with you as is Ilena and Nurus. Don't make this hard for the both of us, please_."

A soft sigh escaped Narssia as his words confirmed what she had suspected on several occasions during their time spent together. She had been worried this would happen but Arxa making herself known was not how she had expected to be made aware of the idea of a relationship with the formerly blind dragon. Briefly glancing over at Ilena, she forced herself to take a deep breath before returning her gaze to the scale-flier who had been a comfort to her so far.

"_I can't take a chance, Geer. This is for the best, deep in your heart you know I'm right. Please do this for me._" She could hear her voice crack and knew Geer had to make a decision. If he was unwilling to choose, she would have to _encourage _him to see that what she was saying was right.

Feeling the gentle caress of the shadows as they stretched up to lick at her legs, Narssia barely managed to hold back a shudder as _something _took hold for a split second. Upon regaining herself, she noticed Geer had been thrown back against the wall nearest Arxa's egg by a storm of electricity, judging by the burns on the scales covering his chest. Eyes widening at seeing the damage a brief loss of concentration resulted in, she hesitantly stepped forward towards the injured dragon as he struggled to get up.

"_Geer, I don't know what happened. I never felt anything and yet-_" The very thought of what had happened nearly chilled her to the bone as Narssia realized her own dark element had acted of its own accord and had taken control over her for just a second. Mind and heart racing, she tried to calm herself as she drew back and forced herself to move away from him.

A dimness flickered over her for a brief second and she snarled, shaking her head in defiance. Realizing she had to get her children away before they got hurt, she raspily hissed, "_Get Ilena and Nurus out of here, Geer. I want them safe_."

Geer, still recovering from the unexpected attack, paused as he found his footing and glanced at her with pity, only to get snarled at as he noticed a murky red vapor swirling around the base of her neck. He tried to tell her but Narssia only deepened her snarl and he hurriedly grabbed both dragonets and deposited them outside of the room before reentering. As he returned, the red vapor clinging to the base of her neck shimmered and solidified into a single crimson gem that buried itself into her neck. The shrieks of pain that came from her as the gem dug its way in and, he assumed, attached to the base of her spinal cord, nearly broke his heart to see her in such agony and knowing he could do nothing to help stop whatever it was that was afflicting her .

As the blood red stone gleamed with a dark aura, Geer noticed a change occur to Narssia as she stumbled and spread her wings to steady herself. The inside of her wings seemed to dilute in color into a dark gray with red veining as he watched her twitch and seem to struggle against the vile gem that would be impossible to remove without causing her severe damage. Shadows engulfed her entire body and a light shudder from her allowed him to see her eyes were murky white, a difference from the blankness of Arxa's control over her.

"_Narssia?_" He whispered, taking a step forward as her head turned to face him and he knew instantly the dragoness he had fallen for as no longer controlling her body, something else had taken over.

Raspy hissing filled the air as she opened her maw and Geer noticed the electric stream she sent at him was tightly controlled and black in color instead of the usual yellow. The impact left him stunned and he slid into the opening to the room, fearing the noise would attract Ilena and Nurus as the dragon he had known as Narssia blankly stared at him. Putting the thought from his mind, he struggled to his feet and spat a few sparks before rushing towards her and jumping to the side to dodge a shadowy fireball at the last second. Wings extending as his feet landed on the stone under him, Geer force himself into the air and tried to use his tail as a weapon but the dark dragoness was faster and bit down on the appendage. Swinging him into another wall, he felt blood seep from his tail and knew she had broken through scales as he slid down to the floor and lay with one wing crumpled under him and another flattened against the wall he had been thrown into.

Folding his lifted wing against his side, Geer dug his talons into the hard surface beneath him and managed to stabilize himself and get back upright just as her claws, pulsating black with dark powers he would rather not know about, scored a deep gash to his right shoulder. Snarling in pain, he let loose a few flickers of electricity that managed to force her back just enough to give him some room. Flapping his still unfolded wing to make sure he hadn't damaged it, he was satisfied with the result and tucked it against his scaled side to protect it as Narssia came at him again and rammed his chest with her head as her horns grazed the underside of his jaw. Winded from the blow, he coughed and tried to scratch her with his claws but her time manipulation allowed her to avoid his weak attempts at a counterstrike.

Blocking one slash with his injured shoulder, he swung his tail into her side and backed away in worry as the strangest mixture of a shriek, yelp, and growl tore from her jaws. The sound was enough to signal to him that he had at least been successful in dealing back some of the damage she had given him but he was concerned by the odd noise she had made. As he tried to focus his mind back on the fight, Narssia retreated a few steps as her tail slid around and she lifted the end of it to rest against the small area between her belly and where her hind legs began. The formerly blind dragon hesitantly advanced after her, stretching out his neck to see if he could smell any blood on her. Geer realized too late that her actions had only left him open to attack and he barely managed to twist out of the grasp of her mighty bite as she lunged to snap at his exposed neck. Smacking her with his horns, he jumped back a few inches and collected himself as she snarled and a sudden strong breeze nearly blew him off his feet as she lowered her tail back to the floor.

Clinging to the ground with all his might, Geer spat a tiny jolt of electricity at her and turned his head away as he saw the blast head straight for the dark gem in her neck. The strong wind gust calmed as he heard her grunt and briefly sensed the dragoness he had feelings toward rise up from under the surface but then a fireball seared the scales on his neck and he knew she was lost once more. Eyes narrowing as he glared at the dark creature before him, a snarl rippled from his throat as he rushed forward and sharply bit her neck before being shoved away with a wing as blood gushed from the wound. Going for her wings, he tried to claw at the folded material but was distracted as the injury he just inflicted on her shimmered with black magic before mending itself and leaving only a small scratch in place of the damage he had tried to cause.

Aggravated at seeing his effort wasted, he dug his closest foreleg into her wing and used his back legs and tail to stabilize himself as he focused all his anger and frustration into shocking the crystal in her neck as his other forepaw batted away any attempts by her to try and bite him again. Being moved and shaken about as the creature struggled and tried to fight him off, Geer only increased the power of his elemental attacks and soon felt its movements slow as a soft whimper rose into the air. It took time for him to understand it was coming from her but even hearing her cries of pain did little to soften the power of his blows as the gem crackled with blue sparks every time he shocked it.

Narssia's steps eventually became unsteady and Geer nearly lost his balance as she collapsed to the ground, the abrupt motion jarring him as his claws ripped through her wing membrane. Realizing she wasn't going to be moving after what she had experienced for at least a few minutes, he relaxed his grip and lifted his bloody foreleg from her shredded wing. Her breathing was shallow and the red gem in the base of his neck was strangely inactive. Sniffing her side as he stepped back to allow all his legs to be on the ground,, he expanded his senses to find another dragon nearby that could help him and finally located where his tail had smacked her that had caused her unusual reaction. The insides of her thighs were wet with blood and he sighed, knowing he had no right to investigate the wound any farther than he had as he knew his counterattack had damaged her in more ways than just mere surface wounds.

It didn't take long for Ryta and Reath to come and find him and Geer was uneasy as the dragoness glanced over her mother's dark form as shadows still cloaked the black she-dragon's body. Expecting either dragon to ask what had happened, the formerly blind scale-flier was relieved when neither inquired what had occurred and helped him move her into an isolated cell. Chaining her to the wall with the thickest links they could find, Geer was uncertain if even those would hold as he wrapped her body in them, pinning her wings to her side and her tail held in the same coil with her left hind leg to save resources. Her neck down to her tail was confined in thick black chains as additional chains connected with those on her body and attached to the corners of the room to hold her suspended in the air. Making sure the walls were reinforced with magic powerful enough to withstand even the harshest elements and elemental attacks, he finally called for Aurelia to come and examine her wounds.

As he waited for their healer to arrive, he turned to Reath and Ryta and asked them to go find Ilena and Nurus and protect them until he was certain it was safe enough for the two dragonets to explore the cave system on their own. The dragons agreed with his request and were about to leave when Geer halted the brown dragoness and mentioned he wanted to speak with her in private about Narssia. Even though it pained him to tell her what had happened since the fight against the clones, he knew she had a right to know and also realized that Sitedal would need to be told as well.

"_I will speak with my brother and let him know what has befallen our mother, Geer. Thank you for bringing this to my attention_," Ryta hummed as she followed after Reath and paused to let Aurelia enter the narrow doorway before leaving to fulfill Geer's request.

"_How bad are her wounds?_" Geer asked as Aurelia examined Narssia, the chains preventing her from doing as through an examination as she would have liked. "_Is she-_"

"Well, it's not completely destroyed. She'll never be able to conceive again but you did what you had in order to subdue her, Geer. Don't feel bad because of what the consequences were," Aurelia muttered as she stepped back to stand beside the blue dragon, her gaze getting captured by the gem buried in Narssia's neck. "What is that is her neck?"

Hissing in anger, Geer snarled, "_Corruption's crystal. It just appeared out of nowhere and implanted itself into her neck before she . . . faded and I was left to fight against the darkness that had taken over her body. I suspect any attempt to remove it by force could cause irreversible damage to her._"

"I see," Aurelia commented as she nodded, glancing at the scaled beast beside her. "And how are you holding up? I see you're bleeding-"

"_I'm fine_," he snapped back, stepping to the side to further distance himself from her. "_Just flesh wounds that will heal. Nothing to be concerned over, unlike with her._"

Turning around, Aurelia started to head for the entrance to the room before pausing midway and glancing back at him in worry. "I'll find something to give her to help numb the pain she'll feel when she wakes up. Those hatchlings need you by their side, Geer. Narssia will be kept under heavy surveillance and you will be alerted the moment we suspect something might be happening, I promise."

Continuing on to the entrance, she hesitated and looked back at him again. "Oh, Geer, before I forget. Next time something like this happens, don't shock the base of her neck until you almost faint from exhaustion. The damage that electricity did might be more than what her system can handle."

Flashing him a warm smile as she exited, Geer snorted and focused his attention on Narssia as her unconscious form seemed so fragile with all the chains around her. He had always thought she looked young for her age but her gaze was so world-weary . . . Sighing, he patted the ground under his right foreleg, wincing as the movement jostled his shoulder and he remembered she had slashed him during their fight. Turning so he could better see the wound, he noticed that Aurelia was right when she had mentioned he was bleeding before gently licking the injury to encourage healing.

Nurus and Ilena might be needing him as a comfort but they needed their mother more and right now she was in no condition to go to them. Until that time came, Geer would watch over her and do what he could to help her fight Corruption's final act of malice against her. Resigning himself to having to wait, he moved over to a corner of the room where he could see the crystal in her neck and curled up, eyes closing as exhaustion from the fight set in and he drifted off into a blissful state of unconsciousness.


	73. Soul Shattered

**Chapter 73-Soul Shattered**

Ryta plodded silently behind Reath as they made their way over to where Geer's chambers were to see if they could find her siblings and coax them to come along and be safe with the two dragons. The sight of seeing her mother's form cloaked in shadows still lingered in the back of her mind as they walked and she realized the formerly blind dragon had taken more damage than Narssia had during their conflict.

"_Reath, go on ahead and find Ilena and Nurus. I want to go see Sitedal_," Ryta admitted as she slowed to a stop and stared at the floor before her forelegs.

Turning around and walking over to her, Reath nuzzled her and licked the side of her snout. "_As you wish, Ryta. I know this must be troubling for you and I am willing to give you time to sort through your conflicting emotions. Discovering she had hid this from you must not be pleasant to deal with, especially after the death of Jormundur still fresh in your mind_."

"_I knew you would understand_," she hummed as she returned the lick and departed down a side passage to get to the small medical chamber where her brother continued to recover from his wounds received during the battle with the clones and against his own sibling.

Sitedal was distracting himself by breathing a tiny amount of his element onto a small rock he was levitating with telekinesis as she entered and waited for him to notice she had come to see him. The small ripples of fear were wearing away the rock and making it smooth and glossy as he made sure to spin it around every now and then to make the object perfectly round. Finally getting the perfect shape he wanted, the black dragon lowered the stone down between his forelegs and Ryta noticed his left front leg was heavily bandaged. Besides the soft plush red cushion he was laying on in the center of the room, there was no other pieces of furniture.

"_Welcome, little sister_," he softly hummed as he lifted his head and gazed at her with his right eye, his left still having that deep gash from his entrance to the Compound and getting attacked by Tamli. "_I would normally assume you came to pass the time but I can sense that is not the case._"

Unsure of how to begin with telling him all she had learned from Geer about their mother, Ryta shifted uncomfortably before sighing and dropping her gaze to the stone between her brother's forepaws. "_Mother had some setbacks. She lied about being free from Arxa, brother. That **parasite **is still alive and is currently residing in an egg in Geer's personal chambers. Geer tried to smash it himself but the vile spirit immobilized him and proceeded to torture our new siblings until Mother injured the egg herself and watched it repair the damage._"

Hearing Sitedal hiss softly, Ryta glanced up at him to see he had accidently moved his bandaged forelimb. "_Fractured the limb completely_," he growled as her inquiring gaze suggested she wanted to know what the extent of his wounds were. "_Ramming into Jormundur and then being flung into a tree broke every bone in my left front leg, sis. Aurelia says she can patch it back up together but it will take time and I don't have time right now for it to heal._"

"_Corruption isn't through with Mother. Geer told me that a crystal of some kind formed and implanted itself into the base of her neck. He had to fight her afterwards but it wasn't her, the eyes were murky white and he got no response when he would try to call out to her. That gem, if tried to be removed by force, could cause severe damage to her that she doesn't need right now . . ._"

"_Where is she being held? I assume Geer had enough sense to stun her and then chain her up_," Sitedal remarked as he flicked the end of his tail, tired of just laying around while waiting for his leg to mend itself.

"_In one of the cells down below. I watched him secure her but I could sense he was uneasy, almost as if he doubted that even our strongest chains could hold back the darkness._"

Sitedal sighed, the action reminding Ryta of the brother they had both lost. They had lost him twice, she mused silently as she curled up on the floor in front of him, first by Corruption and then with his demise. It pained her to think that the wind dragon had not been strong enough to resist the vile temptation, yet a similar situation was affecting their mother. Whatever resentment remained in her heart towards Narssia had to be put aside for the good of restoring her back to the light.

"_We have not lost hope_," Sitedal growled softly as Ryta blinked, wondering if he had read her mind as his words calmed her restless heart. "_Tell me something, would you? How are things between you and Reath? I know your heart still aches over the death of Pytris._"

"_Things are . . . progressing_," she muttered, glancing down at her forepaws as the subject made her uncomfortable.

Noticing her reaction, Sitedal snorted and levitated the rock into the air. "_Look, I'm sorry I asked. I just wish we were closer like it was back when you were still young. I look at you now and find it hard to see the powerful dragoness you have become. To me, you're still my little sister and I guess Jormundur's death just made it more apparent that we need to spend more time together._"

Nodding in agreement, Ryta lifted her gaze back to her brother's warm amethyst irises. "_You're right, we do need to spend more time together. I guess I just thought you would be too busy with Ladetis being back-_"

"_Why would I think that? You are my sister, Ryta. We are the only family to our Mother that knows enough to help her through this traumatic time in her life._" Sitedal's voice was strong but Ryta knew he was still hurt from the bitter way Arxa had turned their own sibling against them.

Realizing Reath would need her help to find Ilena and Nurus, Ryta reluctantly rose and bid her brother goodbye, promising she would visit whenever he needed someone to talk to. She was slightly curious about why he had been shaping a stone using his element when she first entered but figured it was better not to say anything in the event it was meant for Verdra as a present.

* * *

><p>Nethial found it odd to be able to feel the cool stone under her feet as she walked, the sensation bringing a whole host of memories she wished would rather leave her alone. While it was difficult to forgive Ladetis for his impulsive actions, she knew the hatchling was berating itself for how it had attacked her when she was defenseless. Realizing it might make the dragonet feel better, she started out towards its shared chamber with its parents after letting Aurelia watch Ilma but got sidetracked along the way.<p>

She wasn't sure why but the hair on the back of her neck rose and a chill seemed to linger in the air as she passed by Geer's chambers, the sensation calling forth memories of her encounters with the dark dragoness of Corruption during her time of loneliness and isolation. Rubbing her arms to starve off the oppressive cold, Nethial made the choice to investigate the formerly blind dragon's quarters and determine the cause for the odd drop in temperature and the sense of unease she felt.

Entering, Nethial glanced around before her gaze fell onto the dark gray egg that was left towards the back of the room. Taking a step towards the lone object sent a sharp spike of pain through her body and she gritted her teeth, willing herself to continue to advance. Every move sent another pulse of agony ripping through her but her eyes focused on the vile protection the black spirit had formed around itself. It hadn't been hard for her to figure out that it was Arxa who resided in that eggshell, although she never expected to come face-to-face with the malicious presence in its current state.

"Can't defend yourself now, can you?" Nethial whispered in restrained glee as she stopped and glared at the dark object. "How sad is it to realize your life could be ended at any second if the wrong dragon knew you survived. I'm sure Ladetis wouldn't mind getting a bit of revenge on you."

Crouching down, Nethial ran a hand through her hair as she waited to see if the dark spirit would respond. When there was no bitter remark made back, she sighed and stood back up, shaking her head in disappointment before taking another step forward.

"_Nethial, what are you doing here?_"

The raspy mental voice of Geer startled her as Nethial turned to see the formerly blind dragon enter the room, blood coating his scales in places as his right shoulder still oozed the crimson liquid and a large portion of his tail reflected numerous bite marks due to the scales lacking luster. Noticing the intensity of the wounds, she started to step towards him but the scale-flier forbid her with a soft growl as he made his way over and stopped beside her.

"_How is your daughter?_" He asked as a single icy blue iris glanced her over and Nethial inwardly chided herself for not telling him the name she had chosen for the newborn hybrid.

Clearing her throat nervously, Nethial lowered her hand back to her side and turned to face Arxa's egg, still feeling like Geer was watching her. "She's fine. What happened to-"

"_Don't ask_," Geer hissed, interrupting her as Nethial sensed the subject was best to be left alone for the time being. It did concern her that Narssia was not with him, especially with Arxa's presence so strong in the area.

Briefly glancing at the noble dragon beside her, Nethial thought she saw the egg shake but ignored the idea that the dark presence was using this absence from its original host to come into the world that already hated and loathed it. Even with the brief amount of time she had known both Geer and Narssia, she had felt a deep love between the two start to blossom and it only caused her to remember that the one she had fallen for was now dead just so she could survive the delivery of Ilma and be a mother to her child. Hearing a low rumble, her attention turned to the egg to see that the malicious spirit was indeed hatchling right before them.

"_Is she-_" The hesitation and unease in Geer's voice surprised Nethial as she noticed the dragon seemed worried and distracted.

Watching as a single crack started to appear on the eggshell, Nethial again rubbed her arms before speaking up. "What has you distracted? I could understand if you wanted to slaughter this **dark-spawn **in front of us but something has your interest and it's not the event taking place before you."

"_Narssia . . . something happened and I don't know if she'll ever be able to forgive me for what I did. Corruption took over her and implanted some kind of crystal in her neck . . ._"

Lifting a hand to silence him, Nethial turned to face Geer as she tried not to show too much worry. "What color was the crystal? I remember seeing several dragons back before the collapse of paradise with gems in their necks. Those that were controlled by evil forces were vicious, emotionless beasts that only lived to kill others and obey the wishes of the darkness that gave them incredible strength and stamina."

"_The crystal is red_," Geer growled softly as he closed his eyes and sighed. "_I wish it wasn't this hard to fight for someone you love . . ._"

With a sharp crack, the eggshell split in half, revealing a small dragonet with black scales as tiny glowing green lines etched across her legs and back. Opening its eyes, Nethial flinched and retreated a step as Arxa stared her down with a near completely white eye, save for a ring of silver around the shrunken pupil. Geer made no sound as he reopened his eyes and turned to leave, walking to the entrance of the rom before stopping and glancing back at Nethial.

"That color crystal is not what I saw in those that were under Corruption's control but it is possible that the shade changed over time," Nethial remarked as Geer growled quietly before slipping out and leaving her alone with a newly hatched Arxa.

Glaring angrily at the dragonet, Arxa squeaked and scrambled back as Nethial charged forward and tried to grab her. The chase continued until she had backed the hatchling up against a wall and the embodiment of Corruption yelped in pain as it was slammed against the tough stone wall with a kick before being lifted into the air through telekinesis.

"It's all your fault!" Nethial yelled as she let her anger towards Arxa take control and continued to smash the dragonet into the wall over and over again. "You could have just stopped with me and never had to let Narssia go through this pain. Why didn't you just die when Jormundur tried to put an end to you? You're so self-centered that you care nothing for the well-being of others! I hope you finally see what a menace you are and pray no one takes pity on you. No one deserves any mercy after they've done what you have, monster!"

Giving her one last slam against the wall, she dropped the dragonet and stormed out, not caring if Arxa had survived the brutal assault or not. Right now she was too angry to wonder how it would affect Narssia if, somehow, the dark spirit didn't live. All that matter for her was getting as far away from the vile creature as she could and getting back to Ilma.

* * *

><p>Every breath sent pain through her entire body as the former dark mind-half of Narssia wheezed in agony, her vision blurring and doubling as she struggled to understand why she had hatched so early. Struggling to get a clear breath, she lay on her side where Nethial had dropped her and felt her vision flickering, although not towards unconsciousness but in a shared connection with the dragoness who had showed her compassion.<p>

_Her body ached, the pain nearly overcoming her as she awoke to find she couldn't move any part of her body except for her head. The area around her was dark, isolated. It scared her but she was more concerned about Geer than for her own life. How badly had she hurt him? It was just a split second but . . ._

A distant ringing in her ears signaled to Arxa that she was pushing her powers too far but she ignored the sensation and cringed as she coughed, spitting up blood as her tiny white fangs became speckled with the crimson fluid. The right side of her head throbbed and her tried eyes glanced at the floor to see broken scales littering the ground beside her. So the impact had been hard enough to loosen scales, she mused as she flicked the end of her tail and winced. The extent of her injuries caused by Nethial were unknown to her but she promised herself that there would be revenge once she was strong enough. Not that she didn't already want to rip the former rider to pieces but it gave her a new reason to want to see the one that had rejected Corruption's gift held in the grasp of agony and torment. Another cough sent up more of her life-blood and she hissed softly in pain as the sensation made her lungs feel as if they were on fire.

Trying to adjust her position, the movement made her injured ribs ache in protest and she clawed feebly at the floor beside her as she was unable to muster the strength needed to roll over onto her belly. Cursing her short stature, she turned her focus to just how to repay Nethial for what the woman had done and found herself dipping back into the power she had used earlier to see things from Narssia's perspective.

_A chill pressed against her scales as the base of her neck sent spikes of pain down her back. Protesting, she bared her teeth and closed her eyes, sensing the shadows swirl around her as if trying to be of comfort. It was that darkness that had caused her current predicament and the lingering wisps of its power stayed around her claws to remind her that she could tap into it whenever she chose. Mentally shuddering at the thought, Narssia tried to feel the soothing warmth of her inner flame but, upon trying to breath out a small hint of her fiery power she had been born with, no rush of hot air came forth._

_Confused, she tried again but the actions only left her throat dry. She wished she had some water but knew there had to be a reason why she had been moved in here and chained up. The last thing she remembered was trying to break Arxa's egg before she whited out and then only a brief flickering sense of seeing Geer's eyes narrowed in concentration some time later before fading again and waking to find herself confided in the cell. Another flicker of pain from the base of her neck caused her vision to blur for a moment but she shook off the sensation._

_Warmth buzzed pleasantly through her at the thought of the blue dragon who had become her mate but a sudden surge of pain from the area of her abdomen brought a raspy shriek tearing from her maw along with a few wisps of the fear element. Unable to move, she couldn't check to see what had caused the flow of aguish from that tender region but tried to ignore it as she dimly watched the entrance to her cell for someone to come see her._

Pulled again out of her lingering mental connection with Narssia, Arxa snarled softly as she remembered what she had heard Geer say to Nethial before she hatched. The blue dragon had hoped her former host could forgive him for what he had done yet whatever had occurred had brought the black dragoness back to the surface for only a second during their fight. Her tailblade lightly tapped against the stone under her as she wondered what damage could have been done to bring someone like Narssia back out of Corruption's feral grasp for a split second.

Hearing the sound of talons clicking against stone, she raised her head and looked towards the entrance to the room, expecting to see Geer return. It surprised her when she saw that it was Ilena wandering back in, the small dragoness still unsteady on her own legs as her large wings had extended and merely dragged along beside her. Holding back a snort of amusement, Arxa tried to move her body but yelped as pain blazed up her side and she felt hot liquid drip onto her half-extended wing that lay under her body. Apparently curious over the sound, Ilena approached her and she had to silence the soft snarl that rose from deep in her throat as the she-dragonet looked her over.

'**What's so interesting about me being injured?**' She rasped, finding her mental voice had not changed since hatching.

Ilena glanced at her again before glancing up at the broken stone wall that revealed the numerous spots Arxa had been thrown into. Growling in confusion, her lips curled back to show her bloodied teeth as the gray she-dragonet repeated the motion and then motioned at her injured body. It eventually struck Arxa as the dragoness stared at her, the glowing blue lines on its hide appearing out of place on the dark coloration of its scales.

'**Shadow . . . and ice**,' Arxa whispered as she realized the dragonet knew that she possessed knowledge of both elements, having blessed the gray hatchling with ice due to the unusual tattoo she had left upon its flank. '**Were you followed back here or did one of your elements manifest itself?**'

Squeaking in excitement, Ilena cloaked her left forepaw in shadows and Arxa watched as the limb sunk into the ground before being pulled back out. The dragonet was just hatched and already showing its elemental powers far sooner than most scale-fliers developed theirs. Was it because she was a descendant of Narssia? Did the dark magic coursing through her mother's blood make it easier for her to obtain her true self sooner?

'**Where is your brother? We can't afford to have him wandering around and find something he's not supposed to that could hurt him.**' Grunting, Arxa rolled onto her stomach and shakily rose to her feet, a sense of vertigo gripping her as her head pounded.

_The throbbing pain in the base of her neck oddly made Narssia feel at peace as the shadows wove through the chain links to wrap around her like a protective cocoon. Somewhere in the back of her mind the sensation felt wrong but she was already starting to fade by the time she noticed anything. Her pristine white horns shimmered with the dark energy as they looked almost blood red and her eyes faded into pools of murky white as the gem sparkled and pulsed as if it was a living thing. Every pulse of the crystal sent another wave of darkness over her and, before long, she had ceased to care as the black power rushed up her throat with the familar heat of a fireball._

_Opening her maw, she sent forth flickering black flames as the embers sizzled against the stone floor and walls of her prison. Dimly aware she was still chained, her claws glowed with heat as the door to her cell slammed open and Geer sprang at her, twisting around her body like a serpent to have a direct shot at the crystal in her neck. Aggravated he was going to repeat the same thing he had done last time, she focused raw icy power to her back and chilled her scales so he couldn't get a secure grip. Unconcerned with the slight delay, the formerly blind dragon planted his hind legs firmly on the ground and blasted a stream of electricity from his maw as his foreclaws dug into the chains and, unknown to him, slipping under her now brittle scales and left lengthy gashes in her back._

_Screams of pain rippled forth from her as streams of blood flowed freely from her back and stained the ground dark crimson. The shadows swirled around the crystal in her neck, doing their best to protect it from harm as she writhed and made the chains shake with every movement. Geer snarled as his blast was scattered and grabbed hold of her side for leverage before making his body spark and stunning her. Temporarily paralyzed, she was unable to defend herself as he clawed his way up her back and grabbed hold of the crystal in her neck with his teeth. Giving the gem a yank, he was thrown off her and smashed against a wall as an unearthly screech tore from her throat._

Arxa fought back to her own consciousness as Ilena pawed at her and she noticed she had collapsed to the floor sometime during her shared mind-link with Narssia. Shuddering and still hearing the screams of her former mind partner echoing in her head, she pulled her tail around by her side and lay on her belly as the gray dragonet pushed against her shoulder and then glanced toward the entrance to the room. Still in shock from what she had seen, the dark spirit was reluctant to get back up but knew it would make the young dragoness happy if they found her brother.

What was Geer thinking trying to remove the crystal by force? He had said it himself that it was buried deep enough into her neck to cause damage if anyone tried to take it out. Shaking her head at his stubborn refusal to give up on Narssia, Arxa followed Ilena out of the room as she tried to distance herself from the lingering connection to her former host. Having the dragoness pause as they went into the hallway outside the chamber, she focused her mind on the icy wind that had whipped through the upper air when they lived in the cave after Ryta hatched and tried to capture the feeling again to call up an element she was unsure she could possess in her new form. Feeling a chill descend on her snout, she excitedly opened her maw and spat out a glob of slushy water. Anger spiking at seeing the attempt had not given her what she wished, she narrowed her eyes and nearly jumped in shock as green fire burst from her maw and made the wet substance glisten like icicles.

Advancing to the mirror she had made, she examined herself as Ilena batted at her tail and she growled in annoyance. Her tailblade was much similar to the style of old shadow dragons as it bore a scythe-like curve to it and her unusual eyes gleamed in delight with realizing she had kept the design from her appearance in the dreamscape. Small forelegs bore four ivory talons per foot while her back legs had three talons and a smaller claw on the back of her ankle that curved back towards her front. She thought she remembered it being called an fisher talon but couldn't be certain. Walking around the object, she noticed her back and legs were covered in green symbols similar to the ones on Ilena's flank. Curious, she stopped and gazed more carefully at them to see they were the ancient names she had been known as when she was still Corruption prior to her existence in Narssia.

'**I never expected this**,' she whispered as her eyes scanned the native tongue she had known from before her creation, the words flooding her mind as she saw how she was hated and scorned by the people she had only wanted to aid so long ago. '**So many despised me, loathed why I came to them in the first place. I only wanted to make their lives easier and have less conflict . . .**' Her eyes dropped to see the blood reflecting off her fangs that jetted out slightly past her upper jaw. '**But they revolted and I had no choice but to strike back and show them my power . . .**'

_She could feel the bloodlust rising up in her as Geer struggled to get off the wall she had pinned him against with a strong gust of wind. The need to rip and kill and destroy nearly took what little sanity she had fought back from the dark force that was controlling her. Shadows danced over her scales as a power grew and swelled inside her, the sound of the chains frantically clicking lost in her mind as she narrowed her eyes and heard a bone snap as her mate screamed in pain and she felt her head start to throb. _

_Confused by why she would be growing tired when she felt like she had done little of nothing, she glared at the blue dragon as Geer stared at her with tear-filled eyes. Snarling, she felt her consciousness being pulled in two directions before a shallow sigh left her sore throat and she blinked, having fought back without any instruction as her yellow irises settled on Geer. One of his forelegs had been crushed by her and he was close to blacking out as she watched him drop to the ground and take a few deep breaths before looking up at her._

_Her mind felt numb as she struggled to think of what to say but she barely remembered any of the fight, save for the last part as she slowly started taking back control. "_I'm sorry_," she whispered, repeating it over and over as her injuries lashed out at her angrily and she yelped in pain. _

_Concerned for her state of mind, Geer dragged himself to his feet and limped over to her, unwilling to put any weight on his left forepaw. Stumbling several times before he stopped before her, he lifted his injured foreleg and placed it on her chained side. "_Everything is fine, Nar. I suspected you might not have to wait long until the next possession and I was just lucky I got here when I did_._" Seeing her wince and avert her gaze from him, he leaned in and tried to be more gentle. "__What you do remember about it? How did it feel?_"_

_"_Horrible__," she spat, hissing as her back throbbed as if to remind her of the scratches there. "__I remember just whiting out and then . . . nothing until I woke up here, at least for the first time. Something did pull me to the surface during our fight in your chamber but I don't know what. All I know is pain, terrible pain gave me enough of an opening to see you staring at me as if I was an enemy. Why? What happened to cause you to lock me up in here?_"_

_Glancing around, Narssia saw the chains had taken damage but they still held strong as Geer sighed and lowered his foreleg back to the ground. "_What about now? What do you remember from the fight we had?_"_

_"_I was trapped, chained by something so I couldn't move. I wanted to move, to rip flesh from bone, but my body refused to do what my mind asked. So I settled for tapping into my elements to make sure no one could hurt me. Ice coated my back to make it slipperily but I still felt electricity arch up my side and rip through my scales like they were paper._" Narssia knew something was wrong when Geer stepped back and sat down, his tail curling around to lay against his left hind leg._

_"_What you just said was how the fight went. I'm surprised you-_"_

_Eyes narrowed as a low growl rose from her throat. "_You tried to remove the crystal, I know because I **felt **it. I wanted to kill you after that so I let the bloodlust take over, watching as you were miserably beaten by my powers . . ._"_

_"_They aren't your powers anymore, Nar. Corruption has warped them into something different, something primal. I'm scared for you and your children need you. The darkness isn't who you are, believe me_._" ___Narssia growled as the blue runt tried to further blame everything on Arxa. It wasn't anyone's fault that she was like this now. Why couldn't Geer see that she just wanted to be left alone to discover what she could do?_

_"_Geer, I'm not in any danger. I remember the fight-_"_

_Growling, Geer brushed his snout against her leg, his eyes staring up at her with muted distrust. "_Yet you can't recall the encounter before. Odd, isn't it? I'd say that crystal in your neck messes with your head but you don't have to believe me. The results speak for themselves._"_

_Lifting up his tail, he showed her the teeth marks and the dried blood from their fight. Snorting, she spat a tiny fireball at him, the attack leaving the end of his snout black. He next showed her his shoulder, hoping she would remember the wound as it happened around the time she say she had been able to break free for a split second. _

_"_Any dragon could have inflicted those wounds_," Narssia snapped as her mind suddenly felt fuzzy. She coughed then cringed as the movement irritated her wounded back. _

_"_Could any dragon just charge the air around you with so much energy that you feel exhausted and drained of strength?_" Geer remarked as he narrowed his eyes, his claws sparking every now and then to keep the electromagnetic field around her strong. _

_A desperate shriek from Narssia had her lose herself to the darkness for an instant before coming back out to herself to find Geer with several ice shards pinning him to the floor. One shard was close to his neck and she cringed at seeing the beautiful light blue crystal structure become tinged with blood as she noticed she had started a small blizzard as icy winds swirled around them and coated his scales in a layer of frost._

_Revolting in panic, she let fire warm the air around her and held the temperature until she saw he was thawing out as she contained and calmed the ice storm she had started within seconds. Whatever it was inside of her wanted to kill him, she realized as sorrow crept over her thoughts. Her inner self wanted to slaughter the dragon that had helped her through so much already. Why was Geer the target? It made no sense for the formerly blind dragon to be of any threat to the dark power that consumed her at times._

_"_Geer, I- I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry__," Narssia growled mournfully as she watched him get up and stare at the door to the cell. "__Please say something. I didn't mean to start a blizzard but I lost control and-_"_

_"_And you've proven to me that you wish to be ruled by this power rather than trying to fight it_," he remarked with a snort as he left the room, the door slamming shut behind him as Narssia lowered her head and wept. _

Pulled again back to herself, Arxa was starting to hate the power she had seemingly kept that linked her to her former host. She glanced around and saw Ilena was sitting in the center of her mirror-pond and happily squeaked when they locked eyes. Growling under her breath, she waved her tail in the air and, sure enough, the gray dragoness was back to playing with it as her attention returned to the titles she had been called over the years. The Malicious Destroyer, the Black-Hearted Wraith, and numerous others along with her personal favorite from Narssia herself, the Dark Shadow. Noticing her small stature at barely three feet, she snarled and accidently blasted the mirror with more of her green fire. The slushed water turned ice shattered violently, sending Ilena flying into the air and Arxa scrambled to make the wind obey her and help slow the speeding descent of the hatchling. Panicking as even the air refused to aid her, she ran towards the dragonet and just barely caught her as a jump at the last second brought the gray she-dragon falling on her back behind her wings.

The added weight caused her to be unbalanced and Arxa slammed into her side as she met the ground, growling softly as Ilena squealed in delight and bounded off her, eagerly awaiting her to get up so they could do it again. A low hiss echoed through the air as she rose, the fury of it directed at the gray hatchling as a warning to stop being so playful.

'**Never do that again**,' she hissed as she smacked Ilena lightly with her tail before motioning the dragoness to follow her. '**Now let's find your brother . . . and the reason I am unable to access those elements I once held not so long ago**.'


	74. Isolation

**Chapter 74-Isolation**

Nethial could sense something was off as she entered into Tamli's personal chamber, a feeling of dread clinging to her skin as the same coldness she had felt from Arxa seemed to linger in the space she called home as well. Remembering his final words to her, she approached a small groove between two rocks and felt inside until her fingers met soft fabric. After easing the object out, she gently carried it over to the bed she had slept in before he had breathed his last.

She laid it down on the soft sheets and took a deep breath before unwrapping the cloth to find the hilt of a gleaming opal sword protectively covered by the dark fabric. Her hands stroked the sheath lovingly as she noticed it gleamed with the same shimmer as Tamli's dragonic scales had once shown. It was a lasting treasure of his legacy but she was confused over who was to receive the beautiful weapon.

Glancing at her right hip, she fingered the hilt of her own sword that Tanui had made for her and reasoned that the hybrid wouldn't have left her the weapon. Her attention returned to the opal blade as she noticed its sheath seemed to have a spot darker than the pearled surface of the rest of it. Curious, she felt around the location and lifted up a crinkled piece of paper that had been wrapped around the section her eye had been drawn towards. Opening it, Nethial found herself staring at Tamli's own scribbled handwriting, the text laid out in their ancient language so to prevent but only a select few from understand what it meant upon reading the slightly faded words.

'**My dearest Nethial, I wish I could be here to tell you everything there is to say about why I made this blade of my own dragonic scales but I chose the greater good by sacrificing my life for you. I know you have questions and I regret I cannot answer all of them at this time but know that I am aware of what Finca has done to you and will see to her getting repaid in kind. The sword in front of you is crafted of my own blood and will not shatter nor crumble to dust after time has past. This weapon is a true hybrid, a symbol of all I once stood for, and I hope you bless your sweet daughter with this gift when she is old enough to know the full reason behind why I left her this tool of violence in an age of peace. I shall always be yours, soul seeker.**'

The letter brought tears to her eye as Nethial read it and set it back down beside the blade, running a hand over the own defensive armor of her former love as its crisp color shown like the first snowfall of winter against the dark cloth it had been wrapped it to hide it until the time was right. She could hardly believe that this was to be Ilma's weapon but knew her choice to make Tamli her daughter's father figure had been the right one even back when she thought she would die and leave the hybrid child all alone to be scorned by those that knew who its father had been.

"You will be proud of her," Nethial whispered into the still air around her as she gripped the sheath of her daughter's weapon. "I promise you that Ilma will be raised with the best of care, Tal."

"_I would expect no less_."

The voice alone had her turn in shock but as Nethial's eyes focused on Tamli, her legs seemed unable to support her and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees. She was crying before she knew it but he knelled before her and raised her head as he looked her in the eye. A paleness to his skin left it impossible to reason that he was alive but Nethial still sobbed against him for several minutes before she composed herself and leaned back to rest only on her knees as she collected her hands in her lap.

"I'm sorry," she confessed as Tamli squeezed her shoulders in comfort. "It's just hard to know you're gone and I can't-"

"_I know, Net. The afterlife is cruel to those that still have loved ones that are alive but I am in a unique position due to my heritage . . ._"

Nethial blinked, lifting a hand to touch his shoulder only to find her fingers slipped right through him. "Your hybrid blood makes that possible? If so, why can't you stay solid all the time?"

"_It drains much of my strength to keep this form up for long periods of time. Rest assured that I am watching over you, Net, but I can't appear whenever I like without having a good reason for doing so. I knew you above all others would appreciate the gift I left for Ilma_," Tamli murmured as he moved one hand to gently pressed against her cheek.

Leaning in, he kissed her forehead before his form rippled and burst apart, unable to handle the strain on his energy to cross into the living world from the afterlife. Filled with warmth from seeing her former love once more, Nethial sighed and got up off the floor. She retrieved the blade he had made for her daughter and wrapped it back up before leaving the room and going to get Ilma from the protective care of Aurelia.

* * *

><p>Arxa was in a bad mood as she and Ilena returned from having looked all over the Compound in search of Nuri and had come back without the dragonet. Barely keeping her anger in check as they entered the chamber both had been hatched in, she softly growled and smacked her tailblade against the door frame as the gray dragoness behind her squealed in excitement. Glaring at the small hatchling she was starting to find irritating, her claws tapped impatiently against the floor as she sat down near where her egg had been.<p>

Ilena's squeak of surprise aggravated Arxa only minutes later and she snapped at the dragoness to hush, only to get corrected by a deep voice she instantly knew to be Geer even without her turning around to face him. When she did glance over her shoulder at him, she noticed he had lowered his head and was nuzzling the gray dragonet warmly, the sight filling her with further hatred towards the noisy little pest that wouldn't leave her alone.

'**Why are you here, Geer?**' Arxa hissed as she narrowed her eyes and reluctantly got up to walk over to him. '**We were unable to find Nuri and decided to discontinue our search for the time being and relax, given we are but newly hatched dragons . . .**'

"Spare me the excuses," Geer growled in reply as he refused to acknowledge her approaching form. "You're sure you looked everywhere?"

'**Yes, noble one**,' she spat, coughing as a spark of her element got caught in the back of her throat. '**I searched every blasted inch of this place and found nothing of the black run- hatchling. If Nurus wishes to hide then he did it quite successfully in order to avoid my attentive gaze.**'

Ilena squeaked in protest at the words and Arxa snarled softly at the hatchling, baring her teeth as she reluctantly sat down before the formerly blind dragon. Geer was the father figure to the annoying dragoness and her elusive brother like Raxmon had been to Sitedal, Jormundur, and Ryta before she had killed the golden scale-flier and left the three traumatized by what had happened. Shaking her head, a low snarl forced its way up from the back of her throat as she realized it would hurt Narssia to kill the dragon she had grown close to with her condition currently so poor.

'**Ilena's element has manifested and she tracked me back here to show me. She takes after her mother . . .**' Arxa felt her breath catch in her throat and tried to force away the thought that the gray dragoness would eventually turn into the same creature her former host was.

"What is your element, little one?" Geer questioned as he licked the side of Ilena's snout before lifting his head to give her some room.

The little dragonet seemed to light up at being asked to show what made her special and she closed her eyes and cloaked her right foreleg in shadows before sliding it into the floor beneath her. When Geer started to get worried and tensed, Ilena drew back her leg and showed him that it was perfectly fine. Arxa was less amused and barely concealed a growl of annoyance before being glared at by the mate of her former host.

"Did you provoke her into awakening her element this early?" He inquired with a low growl as Arxa scraped her tailblade across the floor, unwilling to meet his powerful gaze.

'**I am not responsible for her element manifesting so soon after her hatching, runt**,' she snapped as she stood and walked back over to where the few remains of her egg lay. '**Yet I fear there is one place we did not look when we searched for the black hatchling. Nurus might have reasoned that he needed the comfort of his mother and-**' Her eyes seemed to stare off into the distance as she was briefly pulled into a mind link with Narssia to see the dragoness had lost control to Corruption and had attacked the small dragonet, leaving it trapped in a web of fear energy while she raged and struggled against the chains holding her captive.

Jolting back to her own awareness, Arxa snarled bitterly and turned to run towards the door, desperate to pull Narssia out of the control of the darkness she had been a part of not so long ago, when Geer stepped in front of her and prevented her from leaving. Ilena growled and playfully swatted at Arxa's tail but a low growl form the formerly blind dragon caused the hatchling to back up and stare at the floor in disappointment.

"Where are you going?" Geer snarled as Arxa tried to move past him, her every move blocked by his much larger frame.

'**Don't ask me how but I know where Nurus is now. He found his way to the cell where Narssia is and she's . . . she's about to go primal and lose herself to the darkness. I don't know what you said to her before you left but whatever she heard is crushing her spirits and making it all too easy for Corruption to consume her**.'

Geer snorted, lifting a foreleg in surprise as he briefly glanced at Ilena. "As much as I hate to say this, I agree with you that we must rescue Nuri. He is still young and many of Narssia's elements could do him extreme harm. Arxa come with me but I want Ilena to stay here so she will be safe."

Arxa knew how much it aggravated Geer to have to admit that she was right but she tried to keep her amusement to a minimum as they left the room together and headed for where Narssia was being kept prisoner. She wasn't thrilled with working with the formerly blind dragon but it was a sacrifice she would have to make in order for her to get to the black dragoness on time to stop her from doing something she would deeply regret.

"Arxa, is the condition where she lost control to the darkness called primal or did you just make that up to get me to let you pass?" Geer asked as they walked, his steps having to be matched by every two steps of hers due to her smaller size.

'**In this I know what it is called, runt**,' she snarled harshly before softening her tone. '**Corruption's darkness was once and still is a feral bloodlust that can sweep over even the most strong-willed dragons and make them but tools to the malicious blackness. I know all of this because it is what I once was not that long ago, Geer. The term for how Narssia is now with that crystal in the back of her neck is indeed called primal, based upon the instinctual bloodlust it creates for the individual it consumes. This state will not get better over time but will only become more frequent as she starts to give up hope that she can be saved from the pain and the misery. One important thing to remember is that the gem in her neck is never removed by force, not only because of the damage it could do to her but because the object was formed from hatred and rage itself to give Corruption a foothold in controlling Narssia.**'

Geer was quiet for a few minutes as they continued to walk until he finally sighed and lowered his head. "I know about the crystal already. I . . . I tried to remove it and she nearly froze me with a blizzard."

'**She attacked you upon you trying to remove the gem . . . Most interesting. In the past, those that tried to loosen the stone were instantly killed by the one the dark magic had bonded to as pain clouded their minds. It seems Narssia may be more of a fighter than I expected.**' Arxa was impressed with how much Geer was telling her but she knew most of it from her lingering mind-bond with Narssia. Even with the link still connecting her to her former host, it was good to hear the events from the perspective of another.

As they entered into the area of the Compound that housed the jails, Geer seemed to tense and Arxa noticed the air around him was quickly charging with excess electricity. It must have been difficult for him to return to the dragoness he had just walked away from, she silently mused as she let herself fall behind a little to take a quick glance at how Nuri was doing through the eyes of Narssia. Extending her senses out towards the location of the chained dragoness, she found that she was blocked for some odd reason and realized she had gone primal faster than anticipated.

Breaking into a run, Arxa leapt past Geer and slid to a stop right before the cell she could feel Narssia in as darkness rolled from the area with enough power to make even her feel uncomfortable. Noticing the room had a massive steel beam acting as a lock, she snarled and lifted her maw to breath her green fire upon it. The metal heated fast than she expected and she jumped back as it violently exploded, sending shards of broken steel out into the hallway as she extended and lifted a wing to cover her eyes. Once certain the debris had started to calm down, she lowered her outstretched wing and entered, seeing Nuri over in a corner of the room with a mass of fear energy swirling around him.

Arxa heard Geer walk up behind her but ignored him as she attention turned to Narssia to see the chained she-dragon's eyes were murky white and her horns shimmered with enough dark energy to make them look almost blood red instead of the ivory white they actually were. A feral snarl rose from her throat as the dark dragoness turned its attention to her and bared its teeth in recognition of who she was, the sight only causing her anger to spike when it would have terrified a normal hatchling. Without saying anything, the blue dragon seemed to notice where Nurus lay and went over to the dragonet, extending his wings and placing them protectively around the youngling as if to shield it from the monster its mother had become.

"_We meet again_," the deep raspy voice bore no trace of the dragoness she had warped and Arxa knew that deep down as she took a step forward and shadows flickered up around her legs in response to her rising emotions. "_What took you so long, dark one? I was wondering when you would show up and you know that I despise waiting._"

'**Save your breath, malice**,' Arxa snapped as she motioned for Geer to get Nuri out of the cell while she kept Corruption-controlled Narssia bus, unfolding her other wing to make herself appear larger. '**Let her go!**'

Rushing forward, Arxa's claws shimmered black and her whole body sank into the shadows as she lunged at Narssia and smashed into the chained dragoness, biting the dark scale-flier's neck. Smacking her former host across the middle with her tail, she was rewarded with a sharp hiss and increased the pressure of her bite. The blood filling her mouth tasted clean so she was comforted to know further control had not happened yet but she still hit the chained creature again to elicit the same response and felt the chains shake.

'**Narssia, listen to me. You need to fight against Corruption. I can't do all of this on my own if I want to save you from becoming something much worse than what you are right now. Just focus on the sound of my voice and drown out everything else You need to cast off the darkness . . . make it leave your mind so I can help you further. It knows that I'm here and it's trying to interfere. I know you want to fight against it, I can feel it in you even though I can't reach your mind**,' Arxa growled as a few flickers of her element surged up her throat but she quelled them and had to loosen her grip to cough.

The shadows coating Narssia seemed to flicker and then fade as she blinked and stared at Arxa with a pained expression, her yellow irises a welcome sight to the dark spirit. Narssia growled wearily in confusion as Arxa realized she had tapped into the darkness of her creation and used it without going primal herself and sighed in relief as she let the power fade and stepped back onto the stone floor. With her former host's mind now free of the dark taint for now, she was able to scan the exhausted she-dragon's thoughts and tapped her tailblade against the floor in uncertainty of what to do.

"_It spoke through me_," Narssia whispered as she let her head hang, her body shaking in exhaustion as the chains wrapped around her clicked with even the slightest movement. "_It knew you and spoke. Why would you be the one it addressed? I don't understand why . . ._"

Arxa balanced herself on her backs legs and tail as she folded her wings back against her side and lifted up to grab the chains on Narssia's chest. '**Because I was once a part of it, dear one. My freedom came as I got my own body and because of that, it loathes me for turning away from the power I had once held when I was a part of the dark magic you know now as Corruption. I noticed you were more willing to break free this time when I entered yet why couldn't I reach your mind as I came to get Nuri to safety?**'

"_I don't know but I do remember my neck hurting for a while until you entered in a maddened frenzy. Nice job blowing up the door by the way, it was a good distraction._" Even with her exhaustion, Narssia still had the energy to comment on things Arxa found trivial but it caused a low hum to rise from her throat as the dark spirit softly chuckled.

'**I am proud that you feel that way, Naris. You don't know how relieved I am to see your eyes staring back at me-**'

Narssia blinked, shaking the chains as she leaned forward to be closer to Arxa. "_Naris? What's that about? You've never called me that before . . . Was it something Vanz used to say to only Corruption alone concerning me?_"

Realizing her error in saying something she shouldn't have, Arxa cleared her throat before gripping the chains a little tighter and dragging her claws against the scales of her former host. '**Vanz would occasionally call you that in the darkness of his thoughts. I know now that it was a term of endearment but, back then, I thought he hated you as humans had grown to have an instinctual fear of dragons. He was quite fond of you, little one.**'

"_He showed me what the darkness could do long before I even knew that its very power flowed through my veins. To think I treated him horribly . . . It's all my fault_." Narssia managed to hold herself together well while speaking but started to sob as she finished, Arxa's steady pressure on her the only thing keeping her aware of her actions.

Keeping a firm grip on the chains, Arxa felt the darkness inside Narssia flicker with expectancy and snarled softly in protest. She was unable to do much more but she had to make sure her former mind partner had enough of a grip on reality to not slip back under the moment she left to see how Nuri was doing. It worried her to leave the fragile dragoness in this state but she knew Geer would be expecting her back soon and she wanted to avoid getting him irritated at her too much until the condition of her former host showed signs of improvement.

"_Go and see Nuri, Arxa. I can tell you're worried about him. Why he has such a hold on you I don't know but take care of him, please. I can't stand the thought of losing another child . . . especially after what I heard Aurelia discussing with Geer . . ._"

'**So you know then. I was worried you had overheard that conversation. It doesn't mean Geer has rejected you-**'

Shadows flickered along the chain links as Narssia hissed, although in pain or in bitter remembrance of what she had done Arxa was uncertain, and a tremor ran through her body. Feeling Corruption's energy swirl inside her, the dark spirit closed her eyes and spat a burst of green fire at the floor beside the captive dragoness. The dark embers blazed to life and formed a circle around Narssia as Arxa felt her relax and knew she had gotten what she had wanted this time from her element.

"_How could Geer do that to me and then leave me?_" Narssia growled mournfully as Arxa slowly realized she had started to cry again. "_I wanted to have a life with him and now I can't even give him what he wants from me . . . Why is my life nothing but misery?_"

'**Narssia, Geer wants you to get better and so do I. Listen to me, reign in your emotions. Corruption feeds off them to make you feel more miserable than you are and to encourage you to start doubting and cause your self-confidence to crumble. You have to stay strong for the both of us, promise me.**'

The exhausted eyes of Narssia focused on Arxa as the chained dragoness lifted her head slightly to better see the dark spirit. "_I will try but I feel so lost here. In the matter of just a split second I had nearly froze Geer to death after breaking one of his forelimbs. I'm a monster, Arxa!_"

'**You are not a monster, gentle one. I see in you nothing but warmth and hope and that is far from the attitude of one who has given everything to the darkness**,' Arxa growled as she lifted her snout and brushed the end of it against the bottom of Narssia's jaw in encouragement. '**I am the monster here and those that know of what has been done recognize this. Upon my hatching, I was nearly beaten against a wall to death by Nethial . . . You cannot begin to imagine the ways I wanted to get back at her but I realize now that you are my priority, Narssia. A dark spirit redeemed . . . that's what I hope can be said about me after time has past.**'

"_Redeemed from what? Corruption is no longer a part of you_," Narssia rasped as she tried to understand what Arxa was saying.

'**I am not sure yet but I fear a time may come when you are to be the one to save me. As of now the feeling just has me uneasy but I'm worried worse is on the way . . .**'

"_Visions? Odd dreams? Anything you know can be of help, Arxa. I would never forgive myself if you lost who you are just to save me. Just stay strong to make you know is right in your heart_," Narssia whispered as she drew back her head and hissed under her breath as the gem in her neck shimmered briefly.

Loosening her hold on the chains around Narssia's chest, Arxa dropped back onto the stone floor and balanced herself before tapping the end of her tailblade sharply to refocus Narssia who had started to close her eyes. '**Nothing like that for now but I will keep you informed. I must go to Nuri but I promise I will be back to check on you. Such a strong dragon like yourself won't fall prey to the darkness I knew if I can do anything to prevent it.**'

Slowly turning around, Arxa walked to the cell's entrance but stopped just before leaving and glanced back at her weary former host. Narssia was silent with her eyes closed and head lowered as far as she could but she trembled every now and then. Worried about the mental state of the dragoness she was starting to be protective over given its condition, her gaze flickered to the room's opening before snorting and returning to Narssia's side.

'**Nar, let me soothe your racing thoughts. I know the very nature of the darkness and realize you're worried over how much time you have between primal urges. Corruption only seizes upon an opportunity when its host is well enough to fight so your state of current exhaustion leaves you safe for now from its dark powers.**' Arxa paused for a moment, lifting her right foreleg to grab the chains at Narssia's left leg. '**I know you're scared of using the shadow element after what has happened so far but I can assure you that Corruption is acting of its own accord and not through a power you already possess and understand how to use.**'

Narssia trembled more violently and Arxa sighed, knowing her feeble attempt to make the dragoness feel better had done nothing to boost her spirits. Her former mind partner was still very much alone in her isolation and Geer's rejection had only worsened things. She knew from experience how too much time spent alone ravaged an individual's mind and made it easy for Corruption to take control with little effort.

Unsure of what to do with Narssia still asleep, Arxa slid her tail around beside her and glanced into the dimming embers of her green fire to noticed her tailblade had a metallic look to it. Closer examination caused her to realize that it was the reason behind Ilena's fascination with it due to the metal-like qualities it possessed. In normal light it looked as black as the rest of her scales but under elemental light it shown like polished silver. Softly humming under her breath at the thought that it made her look even more like the shadow dragons of old, she ran a foreclaw over the tapered end of her tail.

"_Stay . . ._" The voice, while barely audible and extremely strained, drew Arxa's attention back to Narssia to see the dragoness had seemed to relax and ease the tremors which racked her frame.

'**You wish of me to stay? Young one, you need rest-**' Arxa started but took a step back as a pained whimper from Narssia caught her off guard.

"_Stay . . ._" Narssia pleaded again, her weariness making her words muddled as Arxa saw the gem in her neck gleam brightly.

Hesitant, the dark spirit glanced at her forelegs to see shadows swirl around them lightly, a sign that Corruption wished to accept her back into its embrace even though she now had her own body. '**I cannot**,' she remarked after a moment, letting smoke drift freely from her nostrils. '**Being here puts me at risk of slipping into the darkness. I refuse to let everything you have done for me be wiped away by my own selfishness. You know I care deeply for you, Nar, but I- I would give up my very existence for you to be happy and safe.**'

Arxa knew her voice cracked with emotion as tears threatened to flow freely and she hissed, restraining herself as she drew back a few steps. She had grown to feel connected to Narssia but had never realized why she cared about the dragoness so deeply until now. Her former mind partner was going through the darkest time of her life with no one to guide her and help pull her away from the raging flood that threatened to sweep over her and drown the scale-flier in misery and despair.

'**Rest and leave the fight to me, gentle one. I will do everything in my power to ensure you never become what I used to be. You saved me from being nothing and gave me a purpose so now it's only fair that I return the favor**,' Arxa growled tenderly as she closed her eyes and searched through her memory to find something that would give her other half encouragement and hope when there seemed to be none. '**Let light flood your soul and be purified by the warmth of truth . . . I know it seems hard to bare right now but hold on just a little longer until I can make this right. I will free you from this final vengeance by Corruption before you lose everything you held most precious in this life.**'

Choosing to leave as to give Narssia some peace and see how Nuri was doing, Arxa left the room with a heavy heart. She wanted to stay by the side of her former mind partner but knew it was better to figure out how she would help her deal with what would come. Unaware of the presence of two spirits entering as she left, she was unable to hear the conversation between the kindred souls Tamli and Finca concerning her and the fate of young Nurus.


	75. Tested Relationships

**Chapter 75-Tested Relationships**

Several weeks passed following the isolation of Narssia within a cell, during which Nuri recovered from the attack by his mother and grew more closed off as he and his sister increased in size and learned to speak. A month after the dark events saw the young black dragon extremely thin and refusing to eat. His stubbornness was assumed to have been a result of the attack on him but as Arxa watched him the reason gradually became clear to her ancient mind, a lasting scar from her darker time spent as a part of Corruption. Nurus's growth had changed his body and his once black underbelly was now a muted red while the inside of his wings shimmered like blood. It was not unusual for a dragon's color to change during the first few years following its hatching so no one thought anything of it with more pressing manners distracting the Compound as a whole.

As he lay against one of the walls of the chamber Geer slept in, Nuri quietly shook as he watched Ilena eat. She was becoming more graceful and starting to put on muscle as her powers had developed to allow her to fade completely through solid rock, allowing quick access between rooms. Putting the thought from his mind as he glanced over at Arxa, he took in her quickly growing frame and reasoned she was close to being full size with her height now standing at roughly six feet. He was unsure the reason behind her rapid development but wondered why she had hatched later than both him and his sister.

Head pounding in the muted ache he had come to accept after days without any food, he sighed and curled up tightly to watch as Geer entered tiredly and walked over to Ilena without saying anything to Arxa who was laying against the back of the room. Curious about the interaction, he noticed the blue dragon seemed to limp slightly and realized he had suffered a wound sometime after rescuing Nuri from the creature had assumed the shape of his mother. He had been told nothing of the events that had happened to cause Narssia to be chained up but he refused to ask as it seemed to make the older scale-flier uncomfortable whenever his sister brought the topic up.

'**Not eating again?**' Arxa asked him quietly inside his mind as he watched Geer sit down next to Ilena and nuzzle her warmly.

"_It doesn't give me what I need_," he replied softly before closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall behind him, trying to get his head to stop pounding.

Although Arxa had also learned to speak as a normal dragon should, she tended to use her odd way of communicating just to make a point. Nuri, however, had grown used to her unusual form of speaking and preferred to spend time around her than with his own sister. Despite the fact that Ilena was his own blood, the gray dragoness was rather talkative and it got on his nerves quite quickly.

'**What you need? Nurus, explain further, please**,' Arxa commanded, her tone gentle and having little of the malice he noticed was present whenever she would engage in conversation with Geer.

Sighing, Nuri twitched as a tremor ran down his spine, an odd thirst swelling within him at her questioning. "_I have tried to eat meat, you have seen me numerous times, yet for some reason I receive nothing from it. Ilena and Geer both thrive from their consumption of food while I waste away . . ._"

Arxa seemed to stiffen at his remark and he thought he heard the faintest hiss rise from her throat. Thinking he had imagined the reaction, he growled softly and again felt as if his neck was being burned alive from the inside out. Wincing to hide his discomfort, Nuri felt warm air brush past his neck and turned his head to see that the dark dragoness had crossed the room and sat down beside him without him even sensing that she had moved.

"_How did you-_" He began but was hushed by her as she lifted her left foreleg and brought it up to her jaws, cutting through her scales to open up a faint stream of blood.

'**Hush now, child**,' she growled as Nuri swallowed and felt his pulse quicken as he smelled the oozing crimson substance. '**Just do me one small thing and I will leave you alone. I sense you recognize what I have done and all I ask is that you take a taste.**' Her eyes turned to him with expectancy and he shrunk back, hesitating at being offered the chance to consume from her directly.

"_You want me to drink from you?_" Nuri questioned for clarity, voice shaking as he sniffed the wound and inched his maw closer to the flowing life blood that she had presented him. "_Why would I do that? Our race was never purely liquid-driven creatures. We are not vile beasts of the night, aged one._"

Arxa softly hissed at the remark and Nuri realized he was trying her patience. Unsure what she wanted to accomplish by allowing him to have access to still living flesh, he licked away some of the pooling blood that bubbled up from the wound and immediately jerked his head back, coughing as specks of his own blood flew from his maw. Finding himself unable to stop coughing, Nuri grew fearful as he noticed from the corner of his eye that Geer got to his feet and began to advance towards them, electricity flickering in the blue dragon's nostrils as a warning. Worried for the dark spirit beside him, he tried to alert her to what was going on but watched as she flared her left wing, splaying it out in full glory to halt the formerly blind scale-flier.

'**Come no closer, runt**,' Arxa remarked neutrally as her eyes remained on Nurus, his coughing dying down and his breath returning in shallow gasps. '**The child before us is one born of the very vastness of night. Even during times of prosperity for our race, his species was small in number. I had my doubts at first that he was one of them but his comment about meat not fulfilling him confirmed my suspicions.**'

Finally breathing normally, Nuri glanced between her and Geer in confusion, feeling the aching burn in his throat now gone and his mind clear. As uncertain as he was, the blue dragon that served as his father figure was just as irritated at the dark arts Arxa had used on one of Narssia's final descendants. Grasping Arxa's outstretched wing roughly with his maw, he pulled her aside and snapped at Ilena to stay where she was as the young dragoness had started to rise out of interest.

"_What cursed toxin did you give him?_" Geer raged at Arxa as he glanced Nuri over then turned his attention to the former mind partner of Narssia. "_Listen here, all dragons eat meat! He is not some special, elusive beast, **parasite**! I don't know what dark arts you have preformed to convince him of this but you will reverse it at once or I will have you banned from seeing Narssia while you live down here._"

Her wing burning with pain, Arxa used her discomfort to cause a faint stirring of shadows along her claws as she rose and faced the blue dragon that opposed her, letting her injured appendage rest along the ground. '**You dare to claim that I have done something to him? He was not eating and I merely determined the reason why-**'

"_He was attacked by his own mother! That alone would scare a dragon to not eat for days. Both him and Ilena were young at the time and they were very impressionable to outside influences_," Geer snapped back, cutting her off as he stared her down and let smoke drift freely from his nostrils.

"_Father, let it go. Arxa was merely trying to help_," Nuri rasped, feeling his throat start to burn with discomfort again. "_You know she is good for Mother so please, don't have that be the punishment. She was able to convince the darkness to shy away while she was there and I suspect Mother appreciated that moment of peace._"

'**Nuri . . .**' Arxa hummed softly, sensing his growing discomfort and realized after a sharp snarl from Geer that she was channeling it with her own pain from her wing and causing a massive surge of black magic to engulf the room.

"_You dark beast!_" Ger roared, leaping over to her and clawing her face and snout in anger. "_That cursed blackness is all you know! Even after everything Nar did to wipe your wretched stain from her existence . . ._"

Claws shaking, Geer stepped back after inflicting severe wounds and sat down to stare at his bloodied talons. Nuri and Ilena, both in shock over the violent act they had just witnessed, seemed too paralyzed to even say anything as streams of the crimson liquid dripped onto the stone floor below Arxa's maw. The dark spirit herself was silent, her eyes closed and a shadowy aura swirling around her frame. Four large and wide talon marks lined the majority of her forehead, starting on both sides at just above the eye and leading down to nearly the beginning of the snout.

'**_Son of the white dragon of light, ye shall regret doing that. I am the one that began the vast expanse of unfeeling darkness and it exists through myself alone. Thy weak ancestry hath shielded thee for only so many moonshifts and now thy legacy shall come crashing down as thy ancient sire's empire should have back when the frail tendrils of the mortal two-legs race bowed down before thine true ruler of the world._**' The words, although similar in tone to Arxa, were much deeper than the raspy dark spirit could produce and it startled Nuri to realize they were in the very midst of Corruption itself as it secured a hold over the one that had once been a part of it until recently.

"_You think you can just take her over without a fight?_" Nuri asked softly as he lifted his head and stared over at the shadow-cloaked dragoness."_Do you have any idea who she even is? This dragon has one of the strongest wills I have ever seen. She's not going to be beaten down by this._"

'**_Perceptive little . . . I could end her life where she stands if I so chose. She has divided away from me for eons now and her choice has been made, whether she knows it or not_**,' the presence of Corruption snarled as Nuri flinched and shrunk back, sliding as close to the wall behind him as he could to avoid the dark one's wrath.

A massive burst of black and purple energy swirled around Arxa as Corruption's power surged through her and Ilena hissed softly as the amount of darkness chilled the air in their chamber. Geer reluctantly raised his head and wearily glanced at the controlled spirit, a look of sadness in his eyes as Nuri watched him bend forward and expose his neck to the dragoness as a sign of submission.

'**_Ye would risk thy life just to save the one thy loathes more than life itself? Thy race is an odd thing nowadays_**,' Corruption remarked as it bid him to rise with a wave of Arxa's foreleg and turned its head to Nuri in interest, still not having opened its eyes since the attack from Geer. '**_Doth mine eyes deceive me? Is it possible that a creature of the night hath remained to walk these lands once more? Thy name, dragon, what be it? For such a noble creature must have a name of power, should it not?_**'

"_Nuri, dark one. My name is Nuri or Nurus if you prefer. Why take such an interest in me? Arxa had the same curiosity . . ._"

'**_Thy special creature, do thou not know thy own ancestry? The great wars that raged around thine own kind_**.' The admiration in Corruption's coarse voice concerned Nuri and he looked away, unsure of how to respond. '**_Why do thou turn away from me? Youngling, thy is unique in that thy represents a forgotten race. The power which surges through thine own body is one that has flowed through some of the greatest warriors of centuries long past. Nurus, thy are a Blood Dragon_**.'

Nuri was briefly overcome with shock, his mind unable to figure out what the darkness meant until he remembered his reaction to drinking from Arxa. What she had done had soothed his throat and calmed the shakiness that had plagued him since the attack from Narssia. He knew his mother hadn't been in her right mind when she blasted him with fear upon his entrance into her cell but he was concerned over how quickly Corruption had seized upon the dark spirit and taken her over.

"_What type of dragon did you say? The blood species? They've been dead for thousands of years, ever since the collapse of paradise_," Geer rasped as Nuri noticed his father try to understand what had been said, much like he was trying to do as well.

'**_It amuses me that thy refuses to acknowledge thy ancestry except for times of unrest. Thou being blind must have some impact on thy mental capability . . ._**' Corruption taunted as Nuri noticed electricity spark from Geer's tail in protest.

Realizing something had to be said before Geer tried to harm Arxa further, Ilena, who had been watching this in silence, finally spoke up. "_Why is it that you seem to know so much about my brother? You know his element, a rare one at that, so what else you do know about him? We are his family, yet you come in here and claim something we have had no knowledge of and expect us to agree with your words._" Her eyes narrowed as she advanced the tip of her tail dipping down into the floor. "_While I admired Arxa as a youngling, I see now why she would be so weak as to let you control her. Mother should have done the right thing when given the chance and just killed her without-_"

A dark snarl rose from deep in Arxa's throat, the sound too malicious to have come from her alone as Corruption raised the captive she-dragon's head and stared down at Ilena in slight irritated amusement. Shadows swirled around the dragon as it flicked its tail towards her and she screeched as thorny black spikes pulsed up from the ground around her and encircled her. Now unable to move, the dragoness glanced towards her brother and softly sighed before Geer spread his wings wide and let loose a stream of crackling electricity at the vile creature.

The attack hit straight on and smoke filled the air for a few moments, long enough for the dragons to lose sight of Arxa. Nuri was the first to see her as the air cleared and he stood in worry as he noticed her form shake and the fresh wounds she had received from Geer pulse angrily in a mix of purple and black. Getting the attention of the others, he motioned to her unstable condition and rushed to her side as she started to fall. Letting her head rest on his neck as he struggled to bare the rest of her weight, he briefly saw that the shadowy vines surrounding Ilena had vanished as his father approached and remarked that carrying her to Narssia was the best course of action. Unsure about the reasoning behind such an odd comment, the young dragon hesitated but slowly followed after his sister as the formerly blind scale-flier took them to the cell where his mother remained chained within.

"_Take her inside and then leave her there to rot. She deserves no less mercy for the crimes she has committed_," Geer commanded as Nuri and Ilena exchanged a glance before proceeding with the older dragon's wishes.

"_Will she recover?_" Ilena quietly asked as Geer motioned for them to follow after him and return to the chamber they had hatched in, leaving Nuri standing in the entryway to the room.

"_My child, I can only hope for Narssia's sake. Arxa's once strong spirit is starting to crumble and there are those that will surely take advantage of it. Corruption is merely claiming back what it always held . . ._"

From his position at the entrance to the cell, Nuri turned his head to face Geer and Ilena as his sister walked over to stand beside the blue dragon. "_You would refuse her help simply because of the things she has done in the past_," he remarked coldly as chains rattled from inside the room. "_Loathing Arxa has brought you nothing but misery and only drives a wedge further between you and Mother._"

"_How dare you try and explain the relationship I have with your mother!_" Geer roared as Nuri walked inside the cell, locking the door behind him to drown out the rest of the dragon's angry ranting.

Unsure whether his mother was asleep or not, Nuri approached her gently as he dragged Arxa over to her and sat down before the chained dragoness, allowing the dark spirit to drop to the floor in front of him. He wanted to ask why she had attacked him before but continued to struggle with the knowledge Corruption had imparted to him. The Blood element was never spoken of during their modern era, yet he reasoned it was a species of their kind that had been killed out during the years of fighting against the darkness following paradise's destruction.

"_What happened with Arxa, my son? I can't sense her thoughts . . . almost as if something is blocking them from me_," Narssia softly whispered, her voice slightly rougher than normal but understandable given her current situation with being chained up in a cell.

Lifting his head to see her eyes were open and dimly focused on him, Nuri hummed warmly and stood up to nuzzle her. "_She helped me but Geer took it the wrong way and attacked her. He left the scars on her forehead and snout before she lost control of the darkness and let Corruption consume her. It told me that I am a Blood element before Geer shocked it and Arxa passed out . . . leading to how I ended up in here with you._"

Narssia's half-closed eyes shimmered darkly for a moment before she sighed and turned her attention to Arxa's unconscious form. "_Geer has trouble accepting the fact that I chose to spare Arxa when I had the chance to kill her. He doesn't understand just how close I have gotten to her over the years . . ._"

"_You seem in good spirits_," Nuri remarked as he noticed she was strangely quiet even with Arxa being in the same room with her.

"_It's her presence_," Narssia admitted after a moment. "_Arxa seems to be able to hold off Corruption from taking me over while she's near me. I don't know why that would be the case unless it has something to do with the fact that she was once a part of it not very long ago herself . . ._"

"_Perhaps Arxa is aware of it?_" Nuri suggested, catching a brief stir of movement from the corner of his eye. "_She was brought up by darkness but shown light because of you. It is possible that this is her way of thanking you for what you have done for her._"

'**What happened and why am I stuck in a cell?**'

Arxa's voice, baring its normal coarseness, was a welcome sound to both of them as Nuri noticed his mother seemed to brighten up at the groggy, rasp vocalization from the dark spirit. It warmed his heart to see the deep connection the two had with each other and he wondered if Arxa truly deep down felt the same way about Narssia as she did for the one Geer had called parasite.

"_Arxa . . ._" Narssia whispered, her voice taking on a more tender tone. "_You could have gotten yourself killed. I know you just wanted to be useful but Geer continues to refuse to accept my decision on your survival. Please don't make this harder on us than it has to be._"

'**Forgive me, Naris. I only wanted to prove that my instincts were correct in identifying Nurus's element. You know I meant no other harm by my actions**,' Arxa softly growled, raising her head to wearily gaze at Narssia's chained frame.

Confusion clouded Nuri's mind as the name Arxa had used for Narssia sounded foreign to him. He briefly imagined it was something Corruption might call her but dismissed the thought as it reminded him all too well of the whirlwind of new information he had gained only recently concerning himself. Shaking his head to try and clear his mind, he was calmly tapped on the shoulder by a tail and he glanced over at Arxa to see she had moved around while he had been lost in thought. A glimmer of silver met his inquiring glance and a low hum rippled up from his throat warmly towards her before he could stop himself.

'**_Ah, young love. It's been quite some time since I last felt its warm embrace . . ._**' The voice gave off an aura of power and authority, yet Narssia seemed to be further relaxed and sighed in contentment.

Glancing around for the origin of the odd vocalization, Nuri could see nothing and hissed quietly in anger. From his position to his mother, he had sight of the gem lodged in the base of her neck and watched as it glowed dimly before she shrieked in protest and jerked the chains around her in reflex to the stinging pain. Arxa snarled in muted anger and he noticed the gem's dark aura fade to nothing, realizing that the former spirit had a deeper connection to his mother than he had expected.

"_Mirage, it has been some time since I heard from you_," Narssia growled warmly and Nuri blinked, further confused by her actions.

'**_It has been quite a while, has it not? I've missed you, Narssia_**,' Mirage remarked as Arxa hissed faintly and winced as a brief flicker of purple mist swirled over her scales before dissolving into thin air.

"_Ilena and Nuri are the last children I was able to bare. Geer and I fought while I was under Corruption's control and he attacked me in such a way that rendered me unable to conceive again_," she muttered softly, almost mournfully. "_I am dealing with it though. My life would be simpler if the crystal in my neck could be removed without killing me in the process._"

'**_How did Corruption do this? I have never seen a gem of this sort before in my long years of life . . ._**'

'**Because I broke free from it**,' Arxa answered as she reluctantly rose to her feet, her legs trembling slightly in exhaustion. '**Corruption no longer had myself as its link to Narssia and so it formed the crystal to have a bond to the black dragoness. Its influence is less when I am around her though . . .**'

'**_I see . . ._**' Mirage muttered thoughtfully. '**_I'm truly sorry but something has just come up that requires my attention. I wish I could stay longer to talk but my son and daughter request my presence._**'

"_I understand, Mirage. Go to them. I'll be fine,_" Narssia growled in encouragement, although Nuri suspected he heard a bit of longing to her tone.

'**Yes, go!**' Arxa rasped, turning to Nuri as she addressed him directly. '**Geer will pay for his stubbornness once I get out of here. You're going to help me teach him a lesson he won't soon forget, Nurus.**'

* * *

><p>Mirage suspected something was wrong as he drifted back into the peaceful plain of the afterlife, driven by the urgency with which Tamli had contacted him. While he dearly loved his son, the hybrid was impulsive at times - although he guessed the important matter was dealing with Finca. He cherished his daughter as an equal to the blessed son he had created with a human, but knew eventually she would fall prey to the same instability which had afflicted her mother during their greatest time of need,<p>

The space that met him as he felt his soul ease from pain - a sign he had rejoined the dead - was merely the imagery of a memory he would rather have forgotten than relive. He was standing in the main hall of a near-replica of the Guardian chamber from paradise, complete with the four large and wide step rise to the ordinate pearled throne he had spent many years resting upon as leader of the dragons before their mighty downfall and dark descent. Behind the regal seating, a mural of the initial pact with their human counterparts gleamed in stained glass as several dim rays of light flittered in, helping to illuminate the scenery around him. The walls were of polished gold and the six-per-side marble columns that helped to keep the structure upright looked brand new - a far cry from the damage they would later take as society crumbled around the proud race. Facets of diamonds and other precious gems lay embedded in the gleaming silver-toned floor and he lifted a taloned foreleg in awe of the blissful remembrance around him. Yet with all the good around him, it saddened Mirage to see the finite detail that had been put into the building and knew either one of his children had created this to distract him from seeing the larger picture at hand.

Taking a step forward, he raised his head proudly and thundered, "_Come out my beloved children! Cease this foolish hiding for I suspect we have much to discuss._"

From behind the throne, Mirage caught a glimmer of movement and stepped closer to investigate. He was about to ascend the four steps to the throne when Tamli entered from out of the shadow of a column not far from him and cleared his throat, alerting the older dragon to his presence. It had never fully become normal for him to turn and catch the dragonic eyes of his son staring back at him, even more so now as the hybrid joined him with only a few footsteps and nuzzled him in friendly greeting.

"_I know you went to check on Narssia, Father. So, how is she faring with all that has happened recently?_" Tamli asked as the two near-identical dragons walked side-by-side up the large steps slowly.

"_It is a struggle for her, my son_," Mirage admitted as he noticed another flicker of movement in the shadows behind the throne, stepping up on the second step as his tail swished along the glistening floor. "_An incident occurred recently that took from her the ability to bare anymore children and she is rightfully upset about it. To make things worse, Corruption has manifest a portion of itself into a physical gem and implanted it in the base of her neck where it cannot be removed without causing her extreme pain and the possibility of death._"

"_I suspect Nethial could sympathize with her_," Tamli remarked as Mirage hid his disappointment with a low growl at his son's mention of the woman he had bedded and gotten pregnant to raise their child on her own. "_She loathed me for leaving her like I did but I had no choice in the manner at the time. We both know that Amia was more than willing to kill Finca to-_"

The mention of the she-dragon's name seemed to radiate throughout the elaborate room, causing what little light that had been coming in to sudden cut off and plunge the whole area into pitch blackness. A sharp growl from Tamli bothered Mirage as he allowed his scales to softly glow with his elemental power, revealing the erect form of Finca standing directly in front of the throne with a wicked light to her shimmering topaz irises. There was something about the way his daughter held herself that made him uneasy but he stood his ground and placed one foretalon on the third step.

"_Welcome, Father. Welcome, dear brother. I see you both made it._" Finca's tone had none of the joy and respect it usually held and Mirage felt Tamli stiffen as a feeling of something being out of place hit him.

"_Why have you created a replica of our old home, sister?_" Tamli asked, a note of seriousness to his voice that Mirage felt brought out the leader-like qualities his son possessed.

"_Our home? It was my home! You never embraced your half-blood nature until nearly ten thousand years later, Tamli!_" Finca snarled, turning slightly to position her upper body where her left back leg and right foreleg where in the same area, masking the rear taloned foot as she slid her tail alongside her right hind leg. "_Don't think I've forgotten about you, dear father. You tore an innocent dragon from her own body and shoved her into my head when I was but barely hatched! Did you even stop to think what you would do if things went wrong? Makionus, or Makiar as I knew her, made it quite clear to me her dislike of you and your selfish rule over both a proud dragonic species and a mortal human race that could handle themselves without your guidance._"

Concerned, Tamli moved to join Mirage, placing both his forelegs on the third step as he cautiously lifted his folded wings from his back. "_Why bring this up, Finca? __You had plenty of time to inform us of your displeasure. Father and I would have listened-_"

A dark growl of amusement that rippled from her jaws at his statement further making Mirage uneasy as Finca lifted her tail and slapped it sharply against the floor. "_You never did listen_," she snarled in response, narrowing her eyes as faint wisps of black smoke drifted out from behind the throne. "_I tried to tell you back when you believed you were purely human, but you ignored me and silenced any attempt that I made to share with you my worries. You bid me silence on the issue and I was left to dwell with my own thoughts for years! What kind of love and respect is that, my mate?_"

"_Finca, I-_" Tamli stammered, only to be cut off by Mirage as he lightly placed a claw on his son's left forelimb to inform him that he had spoken enough for the time being.

"_Why do you act like this, my child?_" Mirage questioned as Tamli realized his intentions and retreated back to the second step in silence, glancing away from both of them. "_I always made time to talk to you, even when I ruled over our kind. Makionus had to be stopped before she tore our society in half with her delusions and I saw no other way to end the violence. It was your mother that suggested the idea to me for she had experienced a vision in which the egg she was gravid with would one day become a great leader. Once you hatched for Tamli, I knew we were making the right choice, even as my heart was breaking for you with each pained scream you gave as Silver tied you down and told you that this was for the best . . . That decision has haunted me for years and I never truly made peace with how badly you were affected by it._"

A faint gleam of moisture in Finca's eyes caught his interest but his attention was abruptly returned to her words as she snarled bitterly and scratched her claws against the gemmed floor. "_Don't act like you care now after all these years, Father. You weren't concerned with my safety or sanity. All you wanted was to be rid of the threat to your selfish rule and shoving Makiar in my head solved your problems in one fell swoop. Nothing I did ever pleased you, especially after I turned down the advances of Attor and told him off right in front of both of you. Mother was the only one that ever showed me compassion and I suspect you told her to be nice to me, fearing I was a fragile little bulb that could break if put into the wrong hands. Well look at me now, Father! I have more than you ever received and have the dwellings to show for it. Now bow before me, old man._"

Mirage could sense Tamli start to grow restless and unfolded a wing to block his son from advancing. Lifting his head proudly, he bared his teeth and let a menacing snarl rise from the back of his throat. "_I will do no such thing. You would be wise to not challenge me here for this is still my domain, Daughter. Now stand down before you make a fool of yourself!_"

"_Sister, please, listen to reason. There is no need for conflict here. Our afterlife is supposed to be peaceful, love_," Tamli growled softly, a hint of sorrowful longing in his voice that Mirage sensed might help them in trying to make Finca realize her actions.

Her tail smacked the floor again as a swirl of darkness twisted around her frame, briefly making her eyes glow red. "_I refuse to stand down_," she admitted as a puff of smoke drifted from her nostrils. "_Why can't you see that you're siding with a manipulative back-stabbing traitor, Tamli? Father has done everything in the past to get what he wants, no matter the circumstances or who it might hurt. He never considered how I would feel when my childhood was stolen from me by a vengeful dragoness sprit dwelling in my head. To make matter worse, he knew the humans bonded to dragons would go examine the Dragonisicm plant at one time or another and purposely made it so you were in the group that went when I was otherwise distracted._"

Turning her attention directly to Tamli, she continued, "_He wanted you dead so he could kill me later on and be rid of his problems. There was never any doubt that you were his son. I even walked in on a conversation between him and Mother where he deliberately refused to acknowledge your existence to her out of fear she would reject him and go find another male who would treat her as an equal rather than a tool he could use and reuse to get what he wanted._"

"_That is a lie. I had no idea when the exposure to Dragonisicm would occur and the resulting impact it would leave on you, my son. Furthermore, I never told Silver the truth of your parentage because she didn't need to know. I carried that burden of your birth for years, Tamli_," Mirage corrected.

"_Then why did Finca just-_" The hybrid started to ask as Mirage folded his outstretched wing back against his side.

Mirage sighed, hesitant to speak as Tamli lowered his half-risen wings and looked to him for an answer. "_Because I feared this from the start. Your sister is experiencing something Silver went through after her own death. I had hoped the devastating condition would skip a generation but I see now that is not the case. That black fog which rolls from behind the throne is a warning - not to us but to Finca. Her anger and rage are turning her into something no creature should ever have to go through. I watched her mother be consumed by the same thing once I found her in the afterlife and now it happens to my daughter as well . . ._"

"_Father, what are you saying? I don't understand_," Tamli confessed with a puzzled growl as he slid his tail across the uneven surface behind him.

Before Mirage could explain further, a rush of the black fog which had been steadily increasing from behind the throne rose up and enveloped Finca. She screamed only once in terror but the sound nearly broke the old dragon's heart as he retreated a couple of steps to stand on the solid ground of the room's floor. There was nothing he could do to save her from this after trying to when it happened with Silver but he knew he wouldn't hurt her as he had his beloved mate to make her snap out of it. With the swirling mass of smoke hiding the once-peaceful dragoness from them, he watched as Tamli advanced a step and placed a foreleg on the fourth step.

"_Sister? Dearest love? Talk to me, please._" The terror in Tamli's voice was easy to pick out, even though the hybrid had tried to mask it.

From within the dark mist, a pair of blood red eyes opened and a low growl rose into the air. Mirage saw Tamli tremble and reasoned his son was soon going to be horrified by the creature he would see once the fog cleared. The thick smoke lingered for a few more minutes before gradually receding to reveal a black scaled creature with a body shape identical to that of a dragon, the muscular beast baring large spikes along its neck and down three sides of its tail. Finca's white claws had turned pitch-dark as well and her body pulsed with a feeling of malice and hate. The only spot of color on her were the piercing ruby irises that gleamed viciously, a stark reminder of the loathing she had been consumed by and an even more chilling recollection to the hybrid of the twisted soul of his maddened clone.

"_No. It can't be . . . I watched him kill himself. Why is this nature's way of tormenting me?_" Tamli's voice quivered as he rasped out the words in shock, a dim realization hitting Mirage as he pondered the unusual reaction. He had forgotten that the clone Tanui's dragonic forme had bore the exact same coloration to what Finca now appeared like.

"_Tamli . . ._" Mirage whispered in concern, normally refusing to show his unease and worry so openly but the emotional state his son was in bothered him more than he cared to admit.

Finca started them both down with a lack of interest as Tamli's stammering became more pronounced, forcing Mirage to ascend the steps and unfold a wing to comfort the hybrid. "_I can't . . . I . . ._"

"_Emotional trauma . . . that's what Amia and the clone put him through_," Mirage muttered in reflection as he briefly met the fierce gaze of his rage-filled daughter with tired sadness. "_Even if Tamli is unable to harm you, I have no issue with stopping you before you do something you regret._"

"_You cannot harm me, Father_," Finca snarled, furiously stamping one foreleg in emphasis. "_I will have vengeance on those that have wronged me and you can do nothing to stop me!_"

Refusing to back down, Mirage shook his head in mock amusement at her stubbornness. "_You will do no such thing, my child. I will always be there to right the wrongs you commit and will protect those that are vulnerable from your malice and rage._"

Leaving Tamli where he was, noticing the hybrid had begun to quiver, Mirage advanced towards Finca. He leapt up the fourth step and had to stand off to the side to have a direct look at her given the base of the throne took up much of the area that was the final step. She stared him down with disgust but he ignored it and snapped at her neck, wincing as the strike missed and she slapped him with her spiked tail.

"_Look at you_," she taunted, moving around as she clawed up onto the polished throne and stood perched on its wide seat. "_The great dragon can't even beat his daughter in a little fight. I'm disappointed . . . at least Tamli would have given me a good show before I proved to him who is the superior one._"

As though a switch had been flipped in Tamli, the hybrid seemed to spring to life at Finca's statement and roared viciously, throwing himself at her as he lashed out with a frenzy of claw swipes. Catching her unprepared with the sudden ferocity of his powerful blows, he lowered his head and scraped along her side with his horns. Seizing upon the opportunity it presented him as she shrieked in protest to the pain, he raised his head back up and twisted around her to clamp his jaws around her neck, pulling her head back as he breathed heavily from the effort it had taken him. Mirage was stunned to silence as he realized the vicious fighter his son was and thought he heard a bone crack as Tamli pulled back harder on her exposed throat with enough force to have broken it if she had been alive.

"_Leave Nethial alone_," Tamli snarled darkly, jerking her back again to make sure she got the message. "_She did not seize upon your death to claim me. I was there to comfort her and we have a child together, Finca. Net was my first love before you and I never fully got over losing her_."

"_She was a disgrace to you, Brother. Nethial turned to the darkness to cope once it descended upon paradise and never looked back, nearly killing the child she had with you after an argument went too far. It was clear she was unbalanced then and you trust her now after all she's gone through . . . And you say I'm the delusional one_," Finca remarked as Tamli gradually eased his grip on her neck and eventually let go of her.

Seizing upon his moment of weakness, Finca spread her wings and threw herself into the air, rushing past the two dragons as her dark body shimmered with energy and she faded into nothing. Mirage suspected she was making a visit to the world of the living and he realized he knew exactly who her first target would be. If her words had been any indication, then Nethial was going to be in grave danger and he had to make sure she was safe so she could raise Ilma to be a mighty leader like Tamli had once been.


	76. Wrath of the Fallen

**Chapter 76-Wrath of the Fallen**

Nethial could hear Ilma crying from the small wooden crib Aurelia's soon-to-be husband had made for her daughter shortly after the birth of the hybrid baby. Wearing in a short blue dress she had also acquired from the healer as a present, she tried to ignore the aching in her feet as the high-heel shoes she had gotten were a couple sizes too small for her still swollen feet. It had only been a month since her daughter had entered the world and yet she was busy helping with the preparations for Dhran to be made the new leader of the Compound. She personally loathed the idea of a human ruling over dragons - it reminded her too much of the way their society had crumbled under Vanz - but she was willing to put on a good face for the woman who had saved her life during her painful delivery.

Running a brush through her shoulder-length hair, she caught herself staring at the necklace from Tanui she still wore in the mirror of the bathroom she had begun to go into labor nearly a month prior. Other than the small sink with a mirror over it and toilet that took up space, a walk-in shower was also present and had been shoved up against one of the corners of the room. It bothered her as to why she had never thought to take off the piece of jewelry but it looked right on her as the sleeveless dress hung low on small silver straps and revealed much of her collarbone, clinging to her frame in several spots it shouldn't have. Sighing in annoyance as she tried to reposition her outfit to make it appear less noticeable, she heard Ilma cry again and took one last look at herself before going to her child. The dress was mostly held by her upper body and still enlarged abdomen with the front sweeping into a v-shape to show only a slight bit of cleavage she would have rather hidden. Silver embroidery along the edges of the fabric did little to mask her displeasure but she had nothing fancy to wear and knew better than to refuse a gift that was useful.

Walking into the main chamber, she picked up her daughter and cradled Ilma, hoping the loving contact would calm the fussy baby down. It wasn't normal for her child to cry so much but she reasoned that it was a sign of possible hunger, if her swollen breasts were any indication. She wasn't thrilled about breast-feeding but she had done it for Raoul when he had been a baby and he had turned out to be just as capable as his father in certain aspects. As she started to rock her newborn, Nethial heard a gentle voice enter her thoughts and ask her lightly to turn around to face the door to the room.

Doing as the voice had asked, Nethial was taken aback by the ghost-like, glowing form of Mirage as he softly growled in warmth at seeing her. Shock first threatened to consume her but she held tight to Ilma and took several slow breaths before addressing the dragon she had not seen for thousands of years.

"Why are you here, O Great One?" She asked, bowing slightly to show the old leader of the dragons further respect.

'**_You may drop the formality, Nethial_**,' Mirage assured her as she straightened back up and winced as her back ached from being on her feet for several hours already to start the day and it was still early morning. '**_While I wish this visit could have come on more pleasant circumstances, I came with a warning for you, among other things. I see my son made true to his promise and restored your legs to their pristine state as they were prior to the acidic attack by the poison-user Ladetis. It also warms my heart to see you have embraced your daughter with such loving care. Tamli told me about her but I felt it best to see her with my own eyes . . ._**'

"I mean no offensive but can you hurry up and tell me what you came here for. I expect to have a busy day and we both know you always were long-winded," Nethial remarked as she ran a hand along her baby's white hair.

Ilma had grown much already since her birth, looking more along the lines of a child nearing its first birthday than a barely month-old baby girl. Her white hair was a soft dense covering of the back of her head and it always made Nethial smile to know her daughter had been born with a full head of hair. Other than the raised red, scaley spots on her arms and legs that revealed her hybrid nature, her baby was perfectly normal.

'**_Very well, I will make this short. What do you know on the subject of wraiths?_**'

"Why do you ask? I know that they're the souls of deceased dragons and humans that become so filled with rage and anger after their death that they become a sort of magnet for malice and can manifest into our world in certain locations," Nethial rattled off, glad she had listened when Gregal had told her about the subject of wraiths when she had been given her second pair of metal legs.

'**_I ask because last night, I watched as Finca became a wraith right in front of Tamli and myself. She blamed me for not caring about her and raged at her mate for how he never listened to her before it became too much for her to handle all at once and she just . . . snapped. To make things worse, her new form looks very much like the dragonic forme of the clone hybrid Tanui, who I understand died recently of self-electrocution_**,' Mirage informed her as Nethial turned pale at the mention of what Finca looked like.

"And Tamli was with you? That must have terrified him to see her become that, especially once he realized the colors were identical to Tanui. He never really forgave himself for not being able to get to Finca in time to save her or prevent his clone from its painful demise. I wouldn't be surprised if he had lingering fears about those very subjects and what happened last night probably brought them up to the surface of his mind." It was shock that drove Nethial to answer as she did before she was snapped back to reality by Ilma who chose to ball up a fist and express her hunger by pounding against one of her mother's breasts.

A muffled half-cry tore from her lips as Nethial readjusted Ilma's position and she glared at her daughter before remembering she was in the room with the dragonic version of royalty. Putting on a brave face to mask the pain that she felt radiate from the spot she had been hit, she resisted the urge to mutter a few curses under her breath. It was still difficult for her to accept that her newborn possessed the strength of a human-dragon hybrid when she had rarely seen Tamli exhibit any extraordinary acts of power or endurance when they had been young and in love.

'**_I see your daughter wants us to hurry this along_**,' Mirage cheerfully commented as he softly chuckled. '**_With Finca now being controlled by her anger, I suspect you will be the first one she visits. I wanted to see you as soon as I could to warn you and give you time to prepare. To my best guess, I would say Ilma is safe from her but I am not completely sure. She may find it easy to hurt you through hurting your daughter and I could never stand having that guilt pressing down on me if she did and I had ignored the idea of it happening._**'

"Thank you again for the warning, Mirage. I was just about to feed Ilma when you showed up and she's unusually fussy for it being as early as it is in the morning. Dhran's coronation as leader of the Compound is later this afternoon and Aurelia wanted me to help her prepare for it. I can't rightfully say no when she helped me deliver Ilma and then gave me resources to care for my baby," Nethial confessed as she braced the inner crook of her elbow against the back of her daughter's head and used her other arm to brace and support the lower back of the newborn that looked much older than she actually was.

'**_I know this will seem odd but can I see her, Nethial?_**' Mirage inquired, taking a step towards her in eagerness to hear her answer.

"Of course you can, Master dragon," she respectively whispered, holding out Ilma to the wise old scale-flier who lifted the infant from her arms telekinetically. Spinning the baby around slowly, Mirage seemed content with his evaluation of her and safely returned her to Nethial's arms.

Mirage glanced over the young child before sighing and retreating a step, muttering, '**_I was never able to watch Tamli grow up as I would have liked. By the time I first met him, he was ten years of age and already looking to be much older than he truly was. An effect of his mixed blood, I presume, but a very welcome one. You and him were always meant to be together, Nethial, even though Finca took it upon herself to distance herself from Attor as much as she could. I saw the signs of Amia's curious mind and tried to stop my son from agreeing to the twisted ideas but he ignored me and became lost to us both when he chose to save his dragon from the rage of Nor'ac. . ._**'

"I am aware of the events of the past, Mirage," Nethial informed him as she pulled her daughter close to her and turned around. "Now if there is nothing else, please leave us in peace so I can get Ilma satisfied before I must meet Aurelia."

Worry plagued her heart as she heard Mirage sigh and then felt him pass between the living realm and the afterlife as a rush of cool wind blew through the room. Having been dead herself at one point, she knew the energy required to briefly visit the living world and suspected the dragon had used more than he had intended to with talking to her. She appreciated the warning but she was more than prepared to face Finca when the time came. The weapon that was gifted to her daughter was waiting for the moment the twisted dragoness-turned-wraith decided to rear her ugly head.

* * *

><p>"<em>Standing before you shortly is the new leader of our kind! He may not be a dragon but he possesses the inner strength which made our ancestors such formidable opponents<em>," Sitedal growled as the mass of dragons that had gathered in one of the large lower chambers turned to face a small risen platform where they would greet the new ruler of the Compound.

Even with the fear-user practically singing praises about him as he listened from behind a black curtain that Aurelia had put up to hide him until the time was right, Dhran still felt panic rise within him as his hands nervously shook and he fumbled with the golden clasp that held a purple robe over his shoulders. The love of his life had dressed him in the finest clothes she could find and he softly smiled as he remembered the tender kiss she had given him before slipping out to watch the ceremony from the front row. It had been Nethial's idea to have Sitedal say something before he went out but he wasn't sure how much longer he could stand to wait as he pressed his clammy palms together and took several deep breaths to calm himself. Besides the royal purple cloak draped over his shoulders and held by a gold clasp around his neck, he had been fitted with a crisp white tunic and pants. His silver hair had been trimmed as short as it could be for the occasion and he loathed the idea of not being able to hide the pointed tips of his ears as well as the black eyepatch he wore to limit questions about the deep and lasting damage to the right side of his face. There was nothing he could do to hide the vicious acid-like scaring that covered much of the area around his missing eye but he could hide the fact that he now saw the world different because of his situation.

"_It is with a glad heart that I now present our new leader. Would you join me in welcoming Dhran Airu Ricata?_" That was his cue to move but Dhran hesitated, hands quivering as he debated whether to back down and not go out into the mass of dragons where he would be examined from every angle for fault.

A quiet rustling of cloth startled him and he blinked, realizing Seraphina had sensed his unease and come to his side behind the curtain. Her emerald irises glanced him over as she nudged him softly, encouraging Dhran to place a hand on her snout. It calmed him to know that she was looking for him and he suspected she knew of his dislike over having her father speak such kind words about him. Sitedal had apologized for his actions but the damage done would never fully heal and Airu knew that was the price he must pay for being bonded to her.

"_You will be fine_," Seraphina remarked as she crouched to give him more room, the tip of her tail pressing up against his heels. "_Aurelia is watching out for you and so am I, Dhran. Father has no more ill will against you and only wishes us the best . . ._"

Dhran ignored her as he mentally readied himself and moved through the black curtain into the large area. He heard a hush fall over the massive crowd but focused on finding Aurelia first so he would be grounded. Seraphina soon moved to stand beside her father who had taken up a stop near the outer rim of the raised stage and Airu dimly acknowledged the fear dragon before raising his arms to attract the attention of those in attendance.

"My fellow brethren, whether you be human or dragon, allow me to welcome you with open arms. Let me be the first to say that this is a time in the life of our race where we can make a difference and leave a lasting impression on further generations. As welcome as this celebration is, may I admit some sorrowful information not to damper the mood but to remind us all of what we have lost recently. Like many of you, I was equally shocked when I received the news of Uria's death and even more moved when it was revealed that Tamli had been given too great of injuries during his fight with the clone hybrid Tanui to remain with us any longer. This sorrow, friends, is not light but we mst turn it around into something better . . ."

A subtle chill had started to be felt as he spoke but, as he paused to think of what he would say next, Dhran saw a brief shadow dart across the back wall of the chamber with a design similar to that of a dragon. Choosing to ignore the distraction, he motioned for Aurelia to rise and join him up on the stage. He knew this had not been planned beforehand so she would be confused but he had a good reason for why he was breaking from the outline Nethial had suggested. The love of his life was still his fiancee but he hoped to change that by the end of the service.

"Now I'm sure many of you are wondering why I just asked that my fiancee come up on stage with me," Dhran continued as he helped Aurelia up to stand beside him. "This is not a part of the program but I felt it would further extend my wish for this to be an era of rebirth and recovery by doing something I should have done months before. I have already asked for her hand in marriage but I ask one more time . . . Aurelia Zara, will you be my wife?"

Dhran bent on one knee as he repeated the proposal he had asked of her when he had discovered her pregnancy with Nathan, giving her an encouraging smile as she seemed confused by his actions. He was trusting that things would hold out long enough for Nethial to contact either Mirage or Tamli to preform the ceremony to wed them. It was up to a woman he knew Aurelia trusted to ensure his plan went smoothly enough to mark his new title as leader as an important event in the history of the Compound.

"I already did promise my love to you," Aurelia whispered before confirming his request, glancing down at the ring on her finger.

Rising back up to give her a hug, Dhran softly muttered in her ear to be patient and go along with him before seeing the shadow again dart across the back wall more frantically this time, as if searching for someone in particular. Due to a warning from Nethial before the event about what Mirage had told her, Airu had given her permission to miss and requested that she watch Nathan and Ilma out of precaution that Finca might appear to attack. Giving Aurelia's hand a gentle squeeze as he reached for her to signify their unity, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight as a strange black mist suddenly started to creep in from the walls around them.

"_Master?_" Seraphina's terrified voice reminded him that Dhran had forgotten to tell her about the idea of marrying Aurelia on stage and he gripped the hand he held tighter in unease.

"_Seraphina, listen to me, I need you to stay calm. We know why she's here . . . and I promise you, nothing bad will happen._"

The mist gradually solidified into the shape of a dragon and once Finca opened her eyes, the entire room had fallen into complete silence brought on by fear and shock. Although she had formed right next to where Seraphina and Sitedal were at, Dhran pulled Aurelia to the side as the wraith advanced to stand directly in front of the massive crowd. From the information Nethial had told him, Airu realized she had been right about the new appearance of the former dragoness to be identical to that of the recently deceased clone Tanui.

"_Now this is the sound I have been waiting to hear for nearly ten thousand years_," Finca chuckled as her footsteps made the only noise in the room, her newfound dark powers preventing the gathered crowd from moving as mist swarmed the area. "_There is no cheering for my return? Does my royal heritage no longer have meaning since I was declared dead?_"

Driven by a need to protect his lover and his dragon, Dhran took a step towards Finca, clearing his throat as he kept a steady grip on Aurelia's hand. "We know who you are and why you're here, Finca. Search all you like, you won't find her in the mass of individuals here."

"_Well, if it isn't the brash son of Tronay who received his middle name by her traitorous dragon Uria. I see you found happiness . . . a joy I have no problem taking away from you if you refuse to tell me where she is._" Sweeping her attention to the group as a whole, Finca continued, "_You see, I came here today for one particular individual. Perhaps you know her? Nethial Asburo, the one who recently gave birth to a hybrid daughter that almost killed her in the process. I have a score to settle with her and all help would be welcome in finding her._"

"They don't know where she is," Dhran corrected Finca as the wraith turned to stare him down. "Nor does Seraphina and Sitedal. We were ready for you after the warning your father gave us."

"_That old fool!_" Finca hissed in unrestrained rage before controlling herself and realizing he was deeply scarred. "_You hide behind false lies, Airu. Trying to act so perfect all the time when you know you're not must be hard. Even your dear dragon can't help you move past the guilt you feel for having her see you everyday as a terrible reminder of what has happened because her father has anger issues . . ._"

Finca was getting under his skin and it was working, much to Dhran's dislike as he clenched his hands tightly. Mirage's words had been true about her now darkened state, he realized as a shiver ran down his spine. The area covered by the thin fabric of cloth he had managed to find and fashion into an eyepatch itched subtly and he huffed, determining that the wraith was trying her hardest to lure him into giving her the information she required about Nethial.

"Dhran . . . Dhran, please . . . Please let go. You're crushing my hand. Don't listen to Finca, I beg you. Release your grip on me, please," Aurelia pleaded through sobs as she tried to pull her hand away from his own; the lack of concentration and intensity of emotions he was consumed with causing him to squeeze her hand tightly.

It was only after Aurelia began crying and trying to pull away that he realized he was crushing her hand and it startled him as he jerked away, staring at the shriveled form of the petite hand he had nearly broken. His strength normally wasn't that great but it bothered him as he glanced down at his own quivering hands in fright. The circumstances reminded him too much of the brutal wounds he had suffered because of Sitedal and he trembled.

"What kind of a monster am I?" Dhran whispered, half in fright of his own abilities as Finca chuckled darkly in amusement.

"_So you were never told, how ironic. Your mother had dragon blood in her, although not nearly enough to classify her as a true hybrid, and that genetic mixture was passed onto you when she gave birth to you prior to her death. Uria had feared you would start to express dragonic traits but he never lived long enough to see it happen due to the conflict Amia began when he created the clones of Tamli._" A raspy growl rose from her throat at something only she knew and Dhran cringed at suspecting what it might be she was dwelling on. "_Your curse, if you choose to call it that, is the strength of not a full grown dragon but that of a hatchling. It is still far more powerful than the mere feebleness of human strength but you know that already by looking at what you just did to Aurelia. Pity you were going to marry her today . . ._"

"What? Dhran, were you really . . . ?" Aurelia's soft voice brought him back to the fact that only he knew where exactly Nethial was located and he sighed, nodding to her before taking a step closer to Finca.

"Those in attendance know not where Nethial is located, Finca. Only I stand between you and the object of your obsession. Rip me apart if you wish but it will get you no closer to discovering her whereabouts." Dhran closed his eyes as he spread his arms to shield Aurelia, determined to hold true to the promise he made to Seraphina that at least she would be safe.

"_You expect me to act like a brute?_" Finca scoffed, mildly amused by the idea as her spined tail slid around to rest against her right hind leg. "_Since my father decided to inform you of the act of my transformation, I suppose I can satisfy your curiosity. This change has made me stronger in every aspect possible. I am the perfect union between life and death, able to exist in both plains without injury. My fate is now my own, for the first time in centuries! All those that oppose me will soon quiver in fear at the very mention of my name._"

"_There will be no fear in relation to your name, fallen one._" The strength in Sitedal's rough tone surprised Dhran at first as he opened his eyes to see the fear-user advance towards Finca with Seraphina at his heels. "_You were once respected during your father's time of-_"

"_My father was nothing more than a hatchling chosen to lead before he had time to experience the world!_" Finca snapped back in anger, stamping a foreleg against the stage floor as black mist swirled around her intimating frame. "_Nor'ac knew nothing when he put Mirage as the ruler of our kind. Even my own mother saw it when she attempted to rebel and was quieted by him, thrown into a dark underground isolated part of the Guardian Chamber to rot until he had fixed the errors she had made. That is the kind of being I grew up under! He was not the merciful leader our delusional race claimed him to be and I should know firsthand how he ruined everything!_"

"_What could he have done so badly to make you hate him this much, Finca? Surely a part of you must still have love for him_," Seraphina growled worriedly as Dhran tensed at fearing what the wraith would do to her for asking such a question.

"_Silence! Both of you_," Finca seethed, lifting her tail and slashing it down against Dhran's face, cutting into his right shoulder before moving it away to rest behind her once more.

Even though the attack had left his shoulder bleeding and open, Dhran still couldn't hold back a scream as he felt the swipe of her tail cut through the thin strap that held the eyepatch in place to mask his missing eye. The cloth fluttered to the ground, his fingers searching the open air before him in hopes he could snatch it, as the crowd assembled began to pick up on the revealing sight before them. As he realized what was going on, Airu couldn't stop the rising mockery that started to come from those assembled towards his missing eye and deeply scarred right side of his face.

"_Ah, yes, even the masses know to see you as you truly are and look past the mask you have hid behind_," Finca taunted as she spread her wings wide and pushed Dhran closer to her. Whispering to him alone, she added, "_You have one last chance to tell me where Nethial is before I make an example of you in front of all these innocent souls._"

"Do your worst, vile beast!" Dhran ordered as he realized her making an example of him meant his death was soon to come.

Finca gave no indication of the moment when she lifted her tail and moved it to spear him directly through the heart, leaving him to grunt in agony as he slid backwards off the now bloody appendage and fell to the stage's wooden floor. The large hole in his chest made it hard to breathe and Dhran knew his life was draining out of him as he heard Aurelia gasp in shock. Her warm hands soon caressed his left shoulder as she knelt next to him and kissed him as Seraphina mournfully growled before shrieking in anger and rage at the wraith for what she had just done.

"_You monster!_" Seraphina screamed as she bared her teeth and crouched beside his body after joining Aurelia by his side. "_You sick, twisted-_"

"_Seraphina . . ._" he wheezed in protest, coughing as he tried to raise a hand to stop her. "_Don't . . ._"

Aurelia gripped his half-risen hand with one of her own and smiled sadly at him before speaking up. "Now is not the time Seraphina. She is not worth your effort. Come and be with Dhran in his final moments. I assure you that we will hunt her down and make her pay for his death when the time comes."

"_But she-_" Seraphina had now gone to pleading, Dhran noticed as he found it more difficult to get each breath and knew he wouldn't be alive for much longer considering the damage he had received.

"_Seraphina, listen to me_," Dhran coughed, hearing his own labored breathing wheeze painfully with each rise and fall of his bleeding chest. "_Aurelia is right. I need you to be here with me right now instead of going after Finca for the heartache she is causing you. Can you promise me you will look after Aurelia and Nathan and keep them safe?_"

Tears glimmered in the young she-dragon's eyes as she lowered her head and pressed it against his side, her voice soft as she replied, "_I promise you, Master._"

Dhran was certain Finca took the liberty to slip out as he closed his eyes, unable to keep them open as he wondered why the attack hadn't killed him instantly. Maybe there was some truth to what the wraith had said about him having some measure of dragon blood in his body? Whatever the reason, he could feel himself slipping away as darkness swarmed over him . . .


	77. Hybrid

**Chapter 77-Hybrid**

Tamli had refused to move from the spot he had let Finca escape from as his eyes stared blankly at the wall above the main entrance to the replica of their old home. He had been so terrified when he had seen her become consumed by her anger and rage but had frozen up upon seeing what, or rather _who_, she looked like. _Tanui_ . . .The memories of the twisted clone killing his son and then mate ravaged through his mind on an endless loop as he found it impossible to turn and hide from the damage Amia's project had dealt him. Mirage had left sometime after the event with no word on when he would return but the hybrid cared little to know as he was distracted by other things.

He could have stopped Finca, prevented her from leaving to cause havoc, but he had grown soft and had released her without doing her any harm. Mirage couldn't even talk her down from her path of self-destruction but, then again, it had seemed to him that his father refused to even try to put up a fight. Shaking his head, he sighed and swept his tail behind him to temporarily distract him until his mind replayed those terrible moments he had been forced to watch as family members he loved were tore from him by a mad copy of himself.

**. . . He was supposed to have been watching Nethial through the night but he had grown tired resting in the semi-soft chair and, before he knew it, had fallen asleep. It was blissful unawareness of the area around him until his own high-pitched scream abruptly woke him and he jolted upright, chest heaving as he realized that he was back in the muddy field with smoke filling the air to the point that it made it hard for him to breathe . . .**

**"Tamli?"**

**There was a rough shake of his shoulder as he could feel the flickering raindrops hit him and burn against his scorched skin. It was the ring of smoldering ash that held his attention as he coughed, falling to his chest as his back twisted painfully and he cried out. He had told no one of the conflict that was to happen between him and Tanui and now there was only one left standing - although with severe wounds that needed treatment. **

**"Tamli, hey! Tamli? Listen to me, you need to open your eyes. Do you hear me? Look at me!"**

**He had failed to come to Finca in time to save her and had nuzzled her cold dead body before seeking vengeance. Only the clone had chose to kill himself by self-electrocution rather than face death honorably. The smell of burning flesh startled him and he jerked to the side, screaming as the motion jarred his injured back and shoulder. It should have been his death instead of him feeling the pain of his soul mate passing from the world, he reasoned as he whispered it out loud to make it sound more like the truth. Survival had been far from his mind when he fought the psychotic clone and yet he was choking on the thick ashy smoke that filled the area and made it difficult to get a clear breath of air.**

**"Tamli!" A hard slap across his face broke him from his swirling mass of emotions and he found that he had somehow gotten down out of the chair and was laying on his belly in the middle of the floor with Nethial sitting next to him looking very irritated for some reason. **

**"Net . . . What happened? I know I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you but I got tired and fell asleep for just a little bit and then jolted myself awake by my own screaming before . . ."**

**"Before what? Where did you go, Tal? I tried to shake you out of it but you kept crawling until you collapsed onto your stomach and started coughing. It worried me that you were going to start coughing up blood . . ." Nethial confessed, expression softened as he got his arms under him with palms flat against the cold stone floor.**

**Her fears weren't far from what had actually happened, he realized as he remembered a few nights before that he had spent much of the nighttime hours stuck in the bathroom spitting up his own blood as his back burned with enough pain to bring tears to his eyes. The Dragonisicm extract in him was slowing his healing rate and making it harder for him to move about quickly, something that aggravated him beyond all measure. He, Tamli Dragonsbane, was a human-dragon hybrid that was supposed to be a leader of the dragon race yet how could he be in charge of them when he could barely walk across his own bedroom without gasping for breath?**

**Nethial touched his face tenderly before he blinked and forced himself up onto his hands and knees, biting back a scream of pain as the sudden movement irritated the damaging shards embedded in his back. He must have shown his discomfort because she patted his shoulder before struggling to her feet, mentioning that he felt hot and sweaty and deserved a warm shower. Even with his breathing labored, he chuckled softly at the idea of using something he had never operated since returning to life as he had always chosen to clean himself in a stream or other body of water out in the open air.**

**"Stay where you are, Tamli. I promise a shower will do you some good. Just let me get it started and then I'll help you over to it." Nethial gave him a quick smile before going to start the water, leaving him to struggle to his hands and knees. **

**It wasn't long before he heard the sound of running water and he sighed as she returned and helped get him on his feet. Tamli hated being too weak to even do the simplest of things and it irritated him even more to see that Nethial, the very one he should have been waiting hand and foot on due to her risky pregnancy, was the one aiding him. He knew his steps were shaky as she guided him to the bathroom and then left him to undress and get into the walk-in shower that had been built into one of the corners of the small room and located right next to the sink.**

**His skin was pale white as he removed the black tunic and pants he had slept in, realizing as he looked briefly into the mirror that hung above the sink that he could still see the numerous scratches and cuts he had gotten during the fight with Tanui even after a couple of weeks had passed since the encounter. Doing his best to push the thought out of his mind for the time being, he finished undressing and stepped into the narrow shower he had never used until now. As he let the warm water wash over him and clean him of the sweat that had been brought on by his visions, he closed his eyes and tilted his head up to allow the rushing liquid to run over his face, breathing a sigh of relief that he could still enjoy the pleasure of a bath without his back pain flaring up and making it impossible to appreciate the kind gesture from Nethial. His hair was a mess, he had seen that much when he had looked at himself in the mirror, and he realized it needed a trim as its length was now even with the top of his shoulders in places. **

**Closing his eyes proved to be dangerous as he briefly flashed back to watching Rados and Roylzen get slaughtered by Tanui. A groan rose from the inner depths of his soul as he braced a hand against the slick walls of the shower and trembled, hearing his breath momentarily catch in his throat. Tamli knew from the slight pause what to expect as a coughing spasm took what little breath he could get and made it impossible for him to draw in a large enough amount of oxygen for at least a minute. Wheezing as he felt his chest heaving with frantic efforts to give him a decent breath, his hand slipped from the wall and he promptly fell against it, jarring his injured shoulder and causing a jagged scream to tear from his lips.**

**His lungs burned as he forced himself upright and stepped backwards out of the path of the water, sinking to the smooth floor of the shower as his fingers brushed along his arms and felt every cut that still remained from the fight. Why was Nethial being so nice to him when she wanted nothing more than to kill him for thousands of years as her dead spirit dwelled on the very thought of revenge? He wasn't deserving of her mercy after all the damage he had done to her and to countless others over the years. The wounds he carried now were only a reminder of the greater destruction he had caused by even having his hybrid nature revealed and learning the truth about who his parents really were. **

**Tamli buried his face in his hands as a choking sob worked its way up from deep within him and a few stray droplets of water splashed on his head to run down a couple thick strands of long hair that fell into his face. He was all alone now with Finca being dead and his conflict with the clones over after Tanui's self-inflicted death. Nethial was still living with him until more permanent arrangements could be found but he still felt as though no one knew exactly what he was going through. The Dragonisicm in his back burned at times like a living fire and yet he was more concerned for his former love who just happened to be pregnant with a hybrid fetus from the clone he had loathed until the day it died.**

**He could feel the sharp jewel-like poison extracts react to his body's attempt at healing and he grimaced as he turned around to lay on his side. The water raining down on him reminded him of the muddy conditions of the field again and he fought to keep himself in the present as he wrapped his arms around his chest and shivered despite the warmth filling the small space. There was nothing he could do for anyone that didn't involve moving around and risk crippling himself further, he solemnly realized as he closed his eyes and pulled his legs in close to his body. As great as he had been back in his prime, he was now just a weary fool being driven to death by a substance sucking the life from him with each day that passed. **

**"Tamli? Is everything okay in there?" Nethial called out from the bedroom as he shivered again, curling up tighter as the pain flowing from his back threatened to drown out everything else around him. **

**When he didn't respond, he knew she would be worried and hissed as he heard her open the door to the bathroom. He had fashioned a dark green cloth to function as the curtain for the shower and felt his breathing quicken as footsteps advanced towards him. Tamli knew he couldn't let her see him this broken but he was drowning in sorrow and misery and unable to break away from the painful moments of the last few months. As she pulled aside the curtain after asking again and receiving no reply, he dimly stared up at her as he trembled and she cut off the water. **

**"What happened? You were doing fine when I left, Tal. Please tell me what's going on. I just want to-" Nethial helped him uncurl himself and sit up before going to find a towel. As she returned, she must have had a view of his scarred back because she sharply inhaled and then screamed as he heard the sound of a bone breaking. **

**Unconcerned with getting the tile of the bathroom wet, he crawled over to her and caught her as she crumbled to the floor. Her breathing was labored as he placed a hand on her abdomen to check on the baby and he hissed in displeasure when he realized the fetus had reacted to his back and had kicked her in protest, breaking at least one of her ribs. Grabbing the towel she had found for him, he tossed it over his back and lightly ran a hand along her cheek as she inhaled and then winced, glancing down at her side as if sensing something was wrong.**

**"Is the baby okay?" she asked softly as he shifted in position to make her feel more comfortable against the cold tiled floor.**

**"Yes, it's fine," he assured her, "but it broke a couple of your ribs. I shouldn't have let you talk me into that shower . . ."**

**"It wasn't your fault," Nethial corrected him as he glanced away and dropped his hand from her face, bracing it against the wet tile under him as his other arm helped to cushion her body.**

**"Things were fine until I closed my eyes," Tamli admitted as she touched his chest in worry. "I was back watching Tanui murder Rados and Roylzen . . . I could have saved them. I should have saved Finca . . ."**

**"Guilt is a powerful emotion, Tal. No wonder you've been quiet these last few days. All that Tanui put you through is eating you up inside and it's doing you more harm than good."**

**Turning his head, he sighed as her words cut deep. "I can manage it, Net. This will not beak me." **

**Nethial patted his chest lightly before he found the strength to get to his feet and pick her up, sitting her down on the toilet seat. Her pregnancy wasn't that noticeable yet but he was still cautious - although she had done a good job of hiding it so far from the general population of the Compound . . .**

"_Still in the same spot you were when I left_," Mirage noted as Tamli jolted back to the present and saw his father entering with a solemn look in his eyes that foretold bad news. "_Having visions of the past again? You told me that you would let me know if they started bothering you once more . . ._"

"_And they aren't_," Tamli rasped, wondering why he had been drawn back to that particular memory. "_I'm fine, Father. Please leave me alone._"

Walking up to the steps that led to the throne, Mirage shook his head. "_I can't do that, Tamli. You know I can't stand having you distant after what happened to your sister . . . As much as I regret having to say this, I bring disturbing news back from the world of the living. Dhran is dead, killed by Finca who is unable to find Nethial. I fear for the life of your former love, my son._"

"_Nethial will find a way to survive. I doubt Finca will kill her but I suspect my sister may consider torture as a way of getting back at her for the injustice she feels Net has caused with her return into my life,_" Tamli remarked as he turned and stepped up onto the throne, curling up on it as Mirage joined him.

"_Tamli, don't close yourself off from me. You shouldn't try and fight my help. We both know you are still dealing with-_"

Tamli lifted his head, glaring down the old dragon. "_I am aware of what is bothering me, Father. Yes, I still have the guilt and shame of not saving my son and then my mate from my own irritate psychotic clone but I am coping with that heartache and misery just fine._"

"_And where has that coping gotten you?_" Mirage asked, walking around to stand directly in front of Tamli. "_Your way of dealing with it has only made things worse, my son. I know very well that you were raised to confront a problem at its start . . ._"

"_Now this becomes a lecture?_" Tamli snarled, standing up and jumping down from the throne, keeping eye contact with Mirage as his father moved to the side to give him some space. "_I am more than capable of handling this myself!_"

"_My son . . ._" Mirage began but was cut off by the hybrid's low growl of warning.

"_Don't you even start acting like you care, Father! We both know the damage seeing Finca's new form brought me. I can't even recover from the destruction Tanui left in his wake and now my own sister becomes as twisted as the clone I failed so miserably to kill . . ._"

Mirage hesitantly took a step towards him, lifting and unfolding a wing from his back to comfort Tamli as the hybrid collected himself from his violent outburst. "_He would have killed you . . . Whatever hesitation caused him to strike you to the ground with his staff instead of ramming it through your head played a key role in the way he chose his own demise. Tanui was doing you a favor with that blow . . . even if he didn't know it himself at the time. There was humanity in him but it was hidden so deep behind the wraith's anger and malice, much like how Finca is now. I never expected her to slaughter an innocent simply out of spite._"

"_My mate is no longer in her right mind. Finca has become a threat to us all and she must be stopped. I must stop her._" Tamli walked down the steps, stopping in the middle of the hall leading up to the throne. "_Nethial and Raoul are in danger because of me . . . because I failed to listen to her all those years ago. Finca tried to warn us back then but neither of us paid her any attention. I have not forgiven you for what you did to her but I am learning to move past it after hearing your reasoning, Father. You and Silver did the right thing by containing Makiar where she would be unable to harm anyone else. Now if only I could have done that for Tanui . . . then Finca and Rados would both still be alive._"

Following after Tamli, Mirage stepped down off of the steps as he lifted his head high and proud. "_Tamli, think this through. Finca is stronger than you are right now. Her channeled anger only makes her more powerful-_"

"_Is that why you failed to even lift a claw against her?_" Even with his back to his father, Tamli could still sense the old dragon seem to quiet at his admittance that he knew what was going on. "_You could have helped me stop her and prevented Dhran's death but you chose to stand there and let her escape from us! An innocent life is gone because we did nothing when we had the chance._"

Whirling around to face Mirage, Tamli felt his breathing quicken and knew he wasn't far from having either another series of rapid flashbacks, which had plagued him throughout the night since Finca had become a wraith, or a panic attack. "_Finca was not as far from the truth as you think. The trip to examine the toxic plant was ordered through the Great Dragon Leader at the time, of which was yourself. Surely you must have suspected something prior to my exposure to the Dragonisicm. I hope that knowledge stung you like burning-hot coals for years, Father. If you knew all the way back then, why not stop it before my life was put at risk by a tradition held by those stubborn cowards!_"

Mirage noticed Tamli's scales darken to a light gray as he growled in feeble reply, "_I was not aware that you were my son back then! Had I known, I would never have put you in that position. You know how deeply I valued the lives of all those under my rule-_"

"_Oh ,yes, I know quite well. Your leadership brought about the darkest hour we ever had! Concern for your subjects far outweighed your interest in the lives of those most close to you_," Tamli snapped back, feeling a surge of power flood his body as he rose up and pounded his forelegs into the floor.

The resulting impact sent dozens of cracks along the floor and the walls, collapsing a few columns as the elaborate throne cracked in half. Several chunks of rock fell from the walls and the hybrid raised his head to breath smoky blackness at the ceiling to cause it to inwardly collapse. A quiet snort of amusement rose from Tamli as he glanced around and saw the damage that his sudden blow had done with Mirage quickly avoiding a falling pillar and flaring his wings, taking to the air with the ground being so unstable.

"_What are you doing?_" Mirage snarled as Tamli shook himself to get rid of some dust before walking over to a still upright column.

"_Setting things right so I can take care of the problem my beloved sister has become_," the hybrid replied as ice coated his tail and he slashed it against the base of the standing structure , watching the mass of stone topple over onto the older dragon.

Jumping back from the collision of the broken pillar with the floor as dust temporarily blinded him, Tamli lightly coughed as he advanced to see how much damage had been done. A part of him truly didn't want to hurt his father but he knew the only way to keep the older dragon out of it was to cripple him. His eyes soon fell on the struggling form of Mirage as the aged scale-flier lay trapped under the heavy weight, his right wing shattered as he glanced up at Tamli in pity. The rush of power that had caused him to violently shattered the replica of their former home now swirled around him as his scales faded to black and his eyes flickered to blood red as he let out a sigh of relief. It had been quite some time since the poison that the dragon Nira had injected him with had seized control over him but the feeling brought only a sense of release and he welcomed the change from the fear and unease that had gripped him so frequently recently.

"_You will not follow me_," Tamli remarked coldly as he turned and walked away from Mirage's struggling form as the elder dragon tried to get out from underneath the massive pillar. "_Finca has become my responsibility and I will not have a repeat of what happened to Tanui occur again. This time, the threat will be stopped! Once she is taken care of, maybe my nightmares will finally end . . . _"


	78. Lost Soul

**Chapter 78-Lost Soul**

The small cell was certainly crowded, that much was she aware of as Nethial opened her eyes to find that Dhran had held true to his promise and had placed her somewhere Finca would be unable to find her. While she had suggested the idea of Narssia's cell, she had never expected Airu to agree with her and put her in there with the one creature in all the world she loathed. Arxa had not moved from her position by the chained dragoness but the smaller black scale-flier near the dark spirit interested the fallen rider as she had never seen him before. She reasoned it must have been one of Narssia's offspring but she was uncertain as it appeared to be different from the other dragons in the room.

While she had been locked up to prevent Finca from capturing her, Nethial had allowed for Ilma and Nathaniel to be watched over by Ladetis as she knew he would never have wanted to attend the ceremony for Dhran. That plan had worked well, she mused as she slid back against a wall and watched as all three dragons turned their attention to her. Just seeing Arxa put vile thought in her head that she struggled to contain and repress but she promised herself that she would not act against the malicious entity while Narssia was awake.

_"Nethial, I presume?_" The young dragon asked as its voice confirmed to Nethial that he was male._ "_We're glad to see that you're awake."__

"I'm sure you are," Nethial muttered under her breath as her gaze fell on Arxa and the silver-ringed irises stared back at her with equal hatred.

"_Nethial, you were brought here to be under our protection_," Narssia growled as the chains around her body clicked as a tremor ran down her spine. "_Dhran trusted us enough to have you stay here and throw whoever is after you off the trail . . ._"

Sighing, Nethial brought her knees up and crossed her arms over them before resting her chin on them. "Narssia, we both know who it is that wants me. I do not fear her name, nor should you."

'**In the event young Asburo has forgotten this, let me remind you that wraiths will do whatever it takes to get the object of their obsession**,' Arxa snarled, briefly glancing at Narssia before resuming her stare-down with the former rider.

"_You will be safe with-_"

'**Nurus, trust my words. I have been around wraiths and their single-mindedness always leads to their downfall**,' Arxa interjected as Nuri sighed and curled up against her side, prompting the dark spirit to slide away a few inches to give herself space.

"_Arxa, I know there is bad blood between you and Nethial but cease this for right now. She is under our protection_," Narssia growled as Nethial thought she saw something flicker across the wall behind the chained dragoness.

"I appreciate your concern, Narssia, but I am fine. The ceremony is under way and-"

Feeling like she had been punched in the stomach, Nethial cried out as a sudden burst of darkness swirled to life inside the room. As the shadows faded, Finca took a step forward and wrapped her tail around one of Nethial's legs, pulling her across the floor as she clutched at her chest in pain. Arxa was the first to stand but a glance by the wraith had her backing away to protect Narssia.

"_That pain you feel is exactly what happened to Dhran_," Finca informed Nethial as she struggled to make sense of what was going on around her. "_He refused to inform me of your location and I dealt with him. If any of you even so much as attempts to aid Nethial, I will kill you without hesitation._"

'**_No one will be harmed!_**'

Through the pain, Nethial recognized the voice instantly as that of Tamli. Although it held more malice than he normally showed, she realized he was trying to protect her as he always had done. His very nature was to protect those that he loved and she knew it would hurt him to have to fight Finca.

Finca had apparently heard his vocalization for she pulled Nethial closer and pressed a claw against the woman's neck, almost daring the hybrid to come after her. With the initial pain beginning to wear off, Nethial tried her best to conceal a smirk as dim gray particles of light gathered not far from her location and then burst apart to allow Tamli entrance into the world of the living. Her enjoyment at his appearance quickly turned to horror as she gazed upon him and saw he now bore the same coloration that Tanui had possessed.

'**_Let her go, dear sister_**,' Tamli ordered as Finca turned her head to see him and hissed at seeing the dark coloration stare back at her, clenching the muscles in her tail as Nethial winced in pain.

"_Why? So you can continue to shelter her? She caused our problems to begin with!_" The malice in the voice of the wraith made perfect sense to her as Nethial listened to Finca rage against Tamli.

'**The human had nothing to do with-**' Arxa began, surprising Nethial to hear the dark spirit speak up in her defense, but was quickly silenced by Finca with a low snarl.

"_You are only causing more of a rift between yourself and Tamli, Finca!_" Narssia growled, shaking her chains as she could do little to help the situation in her current state.

"_Am I really the one to blame here?_" Finca scoffed as she pressed down on Nethial's neck with her sharp talon."_The darkness chose you for a reason, Narssia. While you may pass it off on Arxa's betrayal of the power that made her, the truth is that you never fully broke free from Corruption even when you claimed you had . . ._"

"_Are you suggesting that my mother is a liar?_" Nuri questioned as he took a step towards her in defiance.

'**_She is unbalanced, young blood dragon. Her new form has changed much about the dragoness I once loved . . ._**'

"_Spare us the history lesson, Tamli_," Finca snarled. "_You know why I am here so let what must happen come to pass. Nethial can never be trusted after what she has done._"

_'**If that is how you feel, then I have no choice but to fight you. I am not the weakling you left standing upon your transformation and I will show you the strength that has made me a hybrid!**' _Tamli's low hiss as he spread his wings gave Nethial an uneasy feeling and she tried to mask her worry.

Finca snorted in amusement, removing her claw from on top of Nethial's neck. "_Really? You barely put up a fight back in our afterlife, my mate. Do you honestly think you stand a chance against me?_"

'**_Back then I had not submitted myself to the dark power that flows through my veins. Now I have no issue with doing what I must._**'

Unwrapping her tail from around Nethial's leg, Finca lifted her wings and spread them out, shoving the former rider against a wall as she lunged at Tamli. The two met head-on as the hybrid locked his horns against her own, shoving her back and throwing her against the same wall she had tossed Nethial against.

Dazed from the throw, Nethial was nearly crushed as Finca slammed down on top of her and one of her legs snapped painfully. Crying out in pain, her breath came in gasps as the wraith shoved herself back onto her feet and blasted Tamli with a shriek that reminded both Arxa and Narssia of the element of fear. As the hybrid charged at his former mate and clawed her face, Narssia tensed as the crystal in the back of her neck gleamed and, as her son and mind-partner watched the conflict brewing, she collapsed against the chains that kept her tightly bound as her eyes closed and her breathing relaxed.

"_Mother!_" Nuri's cry of shock only tore Arxa away from the fight and she hissed at him before noticing what his attention was focused on as a rush of panic flooded her.

'**Nurus, what happened?**' Arxa inquired as she advanced towards the dragoness who she had inhabited for years, forgetting the fighting going on behind them as Nethial promptly blacked out.

"_I don't know_," he remarked over the clamor as Finca and Tamli battled each other, each roaring out in pain on occasion. "_I just noticed she looked like she had passed out. Do you think it could be . . . ?_"

'**I would sense it if Corruption made a move. It is not the dark magic**,' Arxa assured him as she draped a wing over him in comfort.

* * *

><p>Tamli had to admit that Finca as a wraith was far stronger than she had ever been as a dragon. Her skills seemed to be instinctual and her attacks often came without warning as she displayed a wide range of elemental skills that she had never possessed when she was a living scale-flier. It bothered him to see that whenever he scored a hit on her the wound would shimmer white and then close as if he had never struck her in the first place. Releasing his resentment with a low snarl as he closed his eyes, he coated his tail with ice and swung it, expecting to hear the sound of a bone snapping but instead heard metal screeching in protest before shattering. Confused, he blinked and saw that he had sliced through one of the chains holding Narssia up, quickly jumping backwards as Finca burst up from under the floor with a strong gale of wind threatening to toss him around like a hatchling.<p>

Firing off a quick burst of light at her as she snapped at his foreleg but missed by inches, Tamli looked back to see Nethial passed out against the wall Finca had thrown her against. Apparently breaking that bone had been too much for her to endure and it saddened him to see his former love so much weaker than how she had been back during their youth. Of course ten thousand years of nothing but stewing in anger and rage with only Corruption to keep her company had not been good for her mental and physical health. As he watched, Finca seized upon his lack of concentration as a chance to strike and she vanished again into the rock underneath her to reappear right above Nethial.

Anger at his inability to act fueled his fury as Tamli shot an ice shard at her head that Finca shattered with a blink of her eye, the strong telekinesis motion even throwing him back into an opposite wall and allowing her time to grab the unconscious human and disappear again. Before he really knew what he was doing or could stop himself, he had gotten back on his feet and blasted a good few inches out of the space whether Nethial had once been before a single claw on his shoulder brought him back to his surroundings and he heavily sighed before glancing to his side to see Nuri staring up at him with hungry eyes. Looking past him to Arxa who seemed to be breaking down her own cold exterior as she nuzzled Narssia's unconscious body warmly, he let a soft smile drift over his muzzle before shattering the rest of the thick chains that kept the black dragoness suspended in the air.

'**_Consider that my way of being generous_**,' he remarked emotionlessly as he started to head for the door to the room, only to get stopped by Arxa as the dark spirit raised her voice.

'**You never truly made yourself love Finca the way you did for Nethial, did you?**' Even with her words being so plain, Tamli could sense eons of wisdom pour from her and it made him less worried that what had happened would get out into the general population of the Compound.

'**_I couldn't love anyone the way I loved Net_**,' Tamli replied, mostly to convince himself of the truth as he felt his anger slowly fade away and realized Arxa had chosen to speak up for the sole purpose of calming him and quelling the rage that had settled in him back when he had caused such great destruction to the replica of the former Guardian Chamber where Mirage had presided as ruler of their race during the time they lived in paradise.

'**Why care for her so much? She's just a lowly human while you are of a superior species . . .**' Arxa pointed out as Tamli snarled softly at being referred to as a better species.

'**_Nethial was the first to grab hold of my heart and I guess I just never forced myself to let anyone else get that personal with me. My leaving her was not by choice but I still regret the heartache it caused her . . . and the worry for Raoul about who his father was._**' Tamli sighed as he felt exhaustion seep over him and knew it would be difficult to remain in the living world for much longer without putting himself at risk for injury.

"_You look pale. Is something wrong?_" Nuri asked, nudging him lightly as Tamli clutched at the stone under him unsteadily, his vision flickering as the smell of ash and wet bark hit him.

Worried he was about to experience a panic attack right in front of two dragons he was not entirely familiar with, he shook his head in defiance and took a step back, ready to mislead them if their questions got too hard for him to truthfully answer. The scent only increased in strength and intensity and he could feel the anxiety start to rise within him as he curled his claws against the rough floor beneath him. Gritting his teeth together as he closed his eyes, Tamli tensed as he waited for the trigger that would start his crippling moments of confusion and panic, only to freeze as the icy smooth voice of a dragoness entered his mind and seemed to chase away the anxiety and fear.

"_Leave him be, Nuri. Tamli will be fine, provided I have a few moments alone with him._" Narssia had never seemed to be the type to be considered a hero but Tamli realized she possessed the qualities that had defined both him and Dhran during their short rule over the Compound.

After a bit of grumbling, especially from Arxa, the two dragons departed to leave Tamli alone with Narssia in the cell. She looked weary and exhausted as he opened his eyes to watch her telekinetically unwrap herself from the chains that had held her, leaving only a few links on her forelegs and hind legs as she got to her feet. Fearing he would be consumed by his own panic once more, he was cautious as she approached and nuzzled him before wincing and softly hissing under her breath, leaving him to sense a dim spark of darkness radiate from the base of her neck briefly.

"_You feel guilty for what happened to Rados and Finca, don't you? Tamli, it wasn't your fault that they died. You did all that you could to help . . ._"

'**_I still had no memory when Rados was killed. I only realized who it was during the fight with Tanui afterwards. Finca, however, I could have helped. The main portion of our forces did not need me when the attack started and I could have gone to her the moment I sensed her distress . . ._**' Tamli muttered, hearing his own shallow breathing as he sat down and stared down at his claws to see they had returned to the ivory white he was used to normally seeing.

"_Whether you choose to admit it or not, this guilt has been eating at you ever since Tanui's death_," Narssia remarked as she sat down beside him and spread out her wings to relax them from the constriction situation she had found herself in until recently. "_You crumbled under that guilt and reverted to a state where you could be free to express your fear as anger against Finca. I've known you for years and I have rarely ever seen that gleam to your eyes that I saw when you fought to protect Nethial . . ._"

'**_It wasn't protection. I failed Net . . . I let my anger get the better of me and I lashed out, hurting her in the process_**,' Tamli whispered as his voice shook with emotions he couldn't repress any longer.

Narssia licked the side of his snout, raising her right wing to stretch it over him. "_None of this was your fault_," she assured him calmly as he closed his eyes and drew in a series of shallow breaths. "_Tamli, look at me. Breathe . . . It's okay. I'm right here to help you._"

Tearing himself from out under her wing, he stumbled to his feet and took a few steps forward, heart pounding wildly. '**_No, no, no. I caused this! My death gave Amia the genetic material he needed to clone me. Those copies were doomed from the start but how Tanui held onto his sanity for as long as he did I have no idea. The amount of power he had coursing through his veins must have drowned everything else out . . . Maybe I'm just like him - doomed to go crazy._**'

"_That's the panic talking_," Narssia corrected as she winced, folding her wing back against her side as he saw several jagged tears in it from his violent escape from her comforting embrace, and got to her feet. "_Those clones came from you. You were the original and you managed to survive this long-_"

Whirling around to face her as she approached him slowly, Tamli bared his teeth as he narrowed his eyes, picking up a mix of blood and the ever-present scent of rain and burnt grass that plagued him as he started to shake. '**_For what? For Finca to rip my heart out with her betrayal? I see her now and all I can think of is Tanui. He took her from me and I never got the chance to kill him as he had brutally slaughtered my soul mate. It just . . . I . . ._**'

His breath came in gasps as he heard Tanui's dark laugh resound in his head, seeing the limp form of Finca lay before him as her blood stained the grass. Everything that had happened was because of him, because he had been too weak to endure that which had killed so many dragons. A cry rose from the depths of his chest and he made no attempt to silence it as he broke down, slamming his forelegs into the stone under him as a pained shriek of misery tore from his throat.

Narssia was soon by his side, pressing her head against the curve of his neck as he sobbed. "_Tamli, you will get past this. I was once in a similar position when I first discovered I was an empath. I thought the guilt and sorrow would swallow me completely but it didn't and I survived. You are the strongest creature I know and your sympathy for others only shows how much heart you have. You truly are the best of both races._"

'**_Don't pity me just because I'm a hybrid_**,' Tamli snarled, shaking his head as he grimaced and a tremor ran down his spine.

"_I'm not, Tamli. I just thought that if you knew I had gone through something similar then maybe you would be more willing to let me help you_," Narssia admitted.

'**_It's not something you can fix!_**'

"_Maybe not, but your emotional state at the moment has me fearful about what you might do when you see Finca again._"

A snarl rose from his throat, the sound darkened by his anger as Tamli moved his head away from her. '**_I will rip her apart._**'

'**That's not the nature of the hybrid I've heard so much about.**'

The sudden interruption caused Tamli to see Arxa had entered and he snarled, advancing towards her as Narssia cried out her name in warning. Ignoring the words he had just exchanged with the dragoness, he shoved the dark spirit against the door that she had just gone through, hearing the satisfying crack of a bone as he pressed against the side of her snout with a foretaloned limb.

"_Tamli, let her go!_" Narssia's growled request did nothing to quell the anger that surged up within him and Tamli flared his wings to silence her as he met Arxa's determined gaze.

"_Panic attacks? I suspected them from a lower species but not from the famous hybrid_," Arxa scoffed, raising the pitch of her voice as she made it so only Tamli could hear her."_What's wrong? The clones unnerve you a little too much? Or was it maybe the new form that Finca has taken?_"

'**_Don't push it, spirit_**,' Tamli snarled back, loosening his grip only to reposition himself and slam her against the same spot harder as his claws scratched the scales on her face. '**_I don't have time to deal with you right now!_**'

"_Of course you don't want me as a distraction. You're too focused on your own moments of panic and that sinking feeling in your chest that Nethial is going to pay for your failed attempt to kill Finca._"

"_Arxa, don't make him any more irritated than he already is. I've spent the last few minutes trying to get him to calm down_," Narssia growled as she took a step towards them.

"_You know you won't find Nethial so you're taking your anger out on anyone near you in hopes of soothing your emotional pain_," Arxa continued as Tamli glanced back at Narssia before returning his attention to the spirit, easing up as he felt his rage fade and become replaced by the drowning guilt he had been wallowing in since Tanui's sudden death.

With a soft sigh of defeat, he released her and stepped back, letting Narssia go to Arxa's side as he stared down at the floor. The former entity of Corruption was right about his problems - especially his fear that Nethial would have to pay for his less-than-perfect attempt at killing Finca. A gleam of something jewel-like from the back of Narssia's neck briefly shimmered in the corner of his eye and he raised his gaze to get a better look at the object. It was a small red gem, buried between two scales and shimmering on occasion as the two she-dragons talked between themselves. He suspected it was likely tied to Corruption but was not absolutely certain as the shape looked familiar to something he had seen quite a long time ago.

'**_Narssia, who is to watch over Ilma now? With Nethial captured I cannot think of-_**'

"_Aurelia will see to both children_," Narssia assured him as she approached, Arxa by her side with her teeth bared.

'**With Dhran now dead, there will need to be a new leader elected. All those so far have met sudden deaths**," Arxa remarked as Tamli avoided her fierce glare and returned to focusing on the floor by his foreclaws.

'**_No, Ilma must be protected. While I trust the healer, I feel it is best for the young hybrid to be under my guard_**,' Tamli admitted absentmindedly as he scratched at a stone under him.

"_Tamli, you're dead. How are you going to take care of her when she can't even touch you? I know she is your blood but-_"

A low growl rose from his throat as he lifted his gaze to her. '**_Ilma is Tanui's blood, not mine! He was a clone of myself but his blood was altered by the wraith. There was more dragon blood in him than I ever had._**'

'**Now that is merely your way of trying to avoid the question**,' Arxa scoffed, snorting in amusement as Tamli hissed at her words.

'**_Say what you will, spirit, but I must take my leave. Ilma will be raised as a true hybrid - learning to embrace both aspects of her nature._**' Nodding to Narssia in thanks, Tamli released the power keeping him in the living world before setting off to get the daughter of his first love.


	79. Corruption

**Chapter 79-Corruption**

A shrill shriek rose into the air as the rumbling of a coming thunderstorm enfolded the Compound nearly a month after Nethial had suddenly been taken by Finca, the terror-filled sound coming from a single black dragoness as she twisted in her sleep, eyes flickering rapidly behind closed lids as beads of sweat coated her muzzle. Her metallic tailblade scraped against the floor frantically before her eyes snapped open and she scanned the area around her with her unique irises. Rapid breathing sounded in her ears and she whirled around, expecting it to be coming from behind her as her disoriented mind struggled to make sense of her dark surroundings. The gleam of silver caught her attention from the corner of her eye and she turned back around in barely-contained panic, baring her teeth as a silent growl rose from her throat at a single red spark glistening in the distance. It had been so close to reality . . . the feeling of losing everything as punishment for her malicious actions over the years.

She had to protect Narssia from what was to come, given the fragile state of her former host. Corruption had given her a warning, a reason to flee from all that she held dear and she knew she had to obey its wishes or else risk harm to young Nurus and his mother, the very she-dragon she treasure as if they were blood related. Her tailblade clicked against the floor as she steadied herself and tried to push the vivid dream from her immediate thoughts. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she sighed and quietly left the room after hearing a soft snore from the one she truly cared about and echoing ones from its final offspring and potential mate.

The halls were silent during the time of night she was up as nearly all of the dragons were fast asleep, although her own worry and fear drove her to wander away and commit her self-exile. Corruption had been clear with its threat and she knew better than to challenge the one that had created her. A dim light gleamed in the distance as she flared her wings and leapt out from the small side passage into the field where the love between Sitedal and Verdra had been rekindled. Shoving the thought from her mind before it made her sick to dwell on the fact that the fear-user could have been much stronger than it currently was, she heard the sound of wind rustling the grass and the dim resounding of thunder.

Ignoring the instinctual fear that bubbled up within her at hearing the fury of nature, she snarled at her own cowardice before leaping into the air and rushing as far away from the Compound as she could fly with the wind roughly shoving her back towards the direction she had come. Anger surged up from within and she screamed in rage, spinning to the side to find another wind current that would take her where she wanted as the rumbling of thunder loomed closer than before. Smoke rose from her nostrils as she lifted herself higher in the air, only to feel the charge of static electricity wrap around her like a cocoon.

Her tail rose above her as she pressed her wings close against her side and glided to the right as the metallic blade went left. With such dense clouds now surrounding her and the light of the moon no longer guiding her, she cared little about where she was going - only that, in order to keep Narssia safe, she had to flee before things escalated into a rising conflict more deadly than the hybrid clones had ever been. The rumble of thunder boomed right above her but she hissed and started to spin as the dense clouds around her suddenly gleamed white hot.

Lighting, unbridled by nature itself, surged through her tail with enough force to cause her heart to temporarily stop for a few moments as she abruptly lost complete consciousness. When she came to again, she found that she had been paralyzed by the strike and was currently on a collusion course with the jagged rocky side of a mountain. Unable to move or scream in panic, she was tossed into the stones hard by the strength of nature itself as a gust of wind stronger than anything she had accomplished with Narssia slammed into her as if she was nothing more than a day-old hatchling. She had a dim sense of sliding downward as sharp pebbles jabbed her wings and her body, the smell of blood filling the air as the last thing she saw was a large chunk of rock tumbling straight toward her . . .

* * *

><p>Narssia felt her breath catch in her throat as the air she was breathing became moldy and stale, unlike the purified oxygen that flowed throughout the Compound. She curled her tail tighter against her side, still half-way asleep, as if to defend herself from a trick she thought Nuri might be playing on her. He had been quiet and reserved the last few days since her escape from confinement but she realized that, without Arxa, she would have no idea of how to handle her child being one of an elusive species of dragon that was dependent only on blood.<p>

'**_Dear one, reveal thy thoughts to me. This shall not hurt thee for my purpose be only for information._**'

Her eyes opened slowly, revealing to Narssia that she was no longer in Geer's chamber with her chosen male, her former mind-partner, and her children, but was now in a vast empty space where only gray nothingness met her increasingly panicked gaze. Breaths came in shallow gasps as she continued to see emptiness spread out before her, a fear rising in her that this was the dreamscape as it was under Corruption's eternal dark control.

"_Why am I back in this infernal place?_" Narssia snarled, baring her teeth at the blank expanse before her as a small sphere of blackness slowly formed behind her.

'**_Fear not, thy daughter of the night. As I mentioned prior, I have no reason to damage thee. Tell, where be thy other-half? Thou dark-soul Axsanu?_**'

Narssia snorted in confusion, slowly turning around to find herself focusing in on a swirling black mist. "_Who is the dragon that are you referring to? If your intention is of Arxa, then I am not her keeper any longer. She has her own body and is free to choose her own destiny . . ._"

'**_Axsanu is now known to thee by an altered title . . . Most intriguing how thine civilization hath changed over eons, lost one._**' There was wonder present in the raspy voice as Narssia flinched at hearing the odd, yet strangely familar, name of her mind-partner be uttered by Corruption.

Shaking her head, she softly snarled as the pronunciation continued to echo in her mind, sounding more familiar the longer her thoughts lingered on it. "_Look, just tell me why you're here! I was perfectly fine asleep until you disturbed me and dragged me back to a place I loathe. Also, since I'm venting my frustration on you, why can't your speech patterns resemble that of a normal dragon instead of this choppy, twisted excuse for words you give me?_"

The center of the mist rumbled and a flicker of light gleamed from deep within as Narssia took a step back out of worry. '**_Learn thy place, Nuodasis! Thou years of existence hath made thee vulnerable to our greatest enemy . . ._**'

"_Greatest enemy? What do you mean?_" She asked, lowering her head as the darkness rumbled ominously. "_What was the name you called me? Why do I feel as though I've heard it and the one you used for Arxa before, but only vaguely as if in a dream? Tell me why I suddenly know this but never was aware of the information until now!_"

'**_Nuodasis, for thee to have knowledge of thine name, something must have gone wrong_**,' Corruption remarked as Narssia felt a sense of peace and comfort surround her as the darkness spoke the odd name. '**_Before I begin in telling thee these things, has Axsanu started showing signs of having odd dreams? Anything that she refuses to admit to thee?_**'

"_Yes . . . She has and, like you said, she refuses to tell me what they're about. I'm worried for her, strangely enough_," Narssia admitted as the swirling mass seemed to quiet in thoughtful recollection.

'**_For Axsanu to have started to dream means . . . No matter, it shall be addressed later. For now, Nuodasis, thou shall uncover thy true ancestry - a lie hidden for eons simply to protect thou and thine sister from-_**'

"_Sister? Explain yourself! I have no sister!_" Narssia snarled, narrowing her eyes as the words reminded her of the anger she felt towards Corruption for dragging her back into the dreamscape after what had happened with Arxa the previous time she had been within it.

A quiet rumbling from within the depths of the swirling mass caused Narssia to realize her mistake and she quieted, glancing down at the emptiness under her as a sign for it to continue. '**_Thou are so much like thine sister_**,' Corruption remarked softly, a faint trace of pride in its deep voice. '**_Before the Great Realm was formed, there were two entities - one of pure light and one of abundant darkness. The being of light sought to establish a world where it would be loved by its creations while I, the dark one, wished nothing more than to stop it. Even though the elder creator was my brother, I was seen by him as nothing more than a cosmic annoyance that he had to quell. As there was no true beginning to us, we were constantly at war with each other in heated conflicts that nearly engulfed the peaceful planet my sibling made. During one such brutal fight, I attacked him brutally and he responded by cursing me with something that would forever limit my abilities as he formed his new light-worshiping race - that which thou knows simply as dragons. As I was to be consumed by the condition he had set forth - unknowing at the time that my new form would be to my advantage except every thousandth year for a period of twenty days - I channeled a portion of my power into forming three eggs, scattering them across the newly formed world. Realizing I only had enough power to fuel two of them for my plan to have eventual revenge on my brother, I extinguished the life force of one of my children, implanting its power into another as I was cursed to wander the realm as nothing more than a black mist save for those few days where I assumed a more respectable form as that of a dragon. As time passed, and the creatures my light-wielding sibling had formed discovered the mortal human race, I began to experiment with possessing when I was not confined in that scale-cloaked portion of my eternal curse. The first few attempts were sloppy and I killed the poor souls before I realized what I had done and knew exactly what action I had to take. Announcing my presence to the people as a mighty black darkness that would forever change them, I chose a small gem as a symbol of my might. When this was implanted into the base of their neck, I was given complete control over them without having to risk another innocent meeting an untimely death . . ._**'

"_Corruption?_" Narssia asked, confused."_You mean you took over a whole society . . . Why? You couldn't challenge your brother anymore after what he did to you, could you?_"

A quiet chuckle resounded from the mist and Narssia growled, fearing the response she would get. '**_Oh, but I could. For he chose to strip himself of his power and live among his subjects as the very thing he had formed in order to better learn from the species he had created. A dragon with high rank, a leader among the masses, a father of a special offspring . . ._**'

Narssia couldn't stop the startled gasp that left her as she stepped back in shock. "_You mean Mirage was . . . ? Then what about Tamli? What of all those you mercilessly killed for nothing? Our species was in ruin after that!_"

'**_I never learned of the name he chose for himself as I always called him by his birth name of Aker, but he fought bravely until the end. During my long exile, I gained the ability to alter my form - allowing myself to appear as any one of my brother's precious subjects._**'

"_Meta and Mhetra never existed then? But that changes everything about what I know!_" Narssia stammered.

'**_Fear not, Nuodasis, those two did exist but they lived long lives and then perished. I chose to appear as Meta for some time until I could be alone with my brother and then I revealed myself to him just before I ended his life and cast him into the afterlife, knowing full well that he would be unable to return to the living world for long periods of time. Now those dragons baring dark elements stem from my power - although the three offspring mostly directly tied to me were given a very useful gift. It was I that formed the plant whose toxin kills dragons as a way of getting back at my brother for creating them in the first place. Those three that I favored most, however, can linger near the foliage and remain perfectly fine._**'

"_You've mentioned the three but who are they? Do I know any of them?_" Narssia inquired as she dimly glanced over her foreclaws while waiting for a response from the mist.

'**_Ah, dear one, allow me to first inform thee of what my chosen name was during those dreaded periods where I was stuck as a ill-tempered scale-flier. Due to my limited knowledge of the tongue of my brother's creation at the time of my first change of shape, I decided upon a name that would resonate more with the likes of the frail humans. In choosing what I did, I became a shadow to them, if thee wishes to call it such_**,' Corruption remarked.

"_A shadow? I know my father's name was Shadow but . . ._"

'**_Let there be no confusion over this, dear one. Nuodasis, you are one of my children. Axsanu and Cilous are the others. I was only able to maintain your life force and that of your brother so I poured Axsanu's essence into you with the hope that she would recover after enough time . . ._**'

The shock of learning she was a descendant of a god of their kind was almost too much for Narssia but she managed to keep herself strong even as a soft growl left her clenched jaws and she wondered if her brother Cryill, known to Corruption as Cilous, had every discovered the truth of their parentage. "_So those dreams that Arxa is having . . . ?_"

'**_Axsanu, in an effort to keep her safe, I blocked her mind from knowing the past as she dwelled within you. As you began to pull away from me, Axsanu awoke and killed the dragon thou had become close to in a fury. I was pleased with her but quickly realized she was overpowering thee. Thus I was fearful thou would survive until this meeting but I was thrilled to see Axsanu receive her own body. Thine choice was a good one, my daughter._**'

Snorting in disgust, Narssia raised her head and stared down Corruption's swirling form. "_If you claim you're so powerful, then show me your true form._"

'**_I shall not be able to hold it together, Nuodasis. The curse Aker placed on me prevented me from achieving it . . . but I sense thou are concerned over the nature of thine hybrid friend. Saconith-ti, was it?_**'

Nodding her head in agreement at hearing the ancient Dragonic language, Narssia sighed in relief. "_Yes, although I'm surprised you know the ancient tongue, given your reluctance to possession._"

'**_My child, hath thou forgotten that I roamed the earth for eons? I am certainly familar with the serpent-tongue of my brother's creations._**' Corruption paused for a moment as Narssia tried to reach out and sense Arxa but felt nothing from the dragoness she had been the host for until only recently. '**_Go to Axsanu, she needs thee. Her dreams of death and destruction by the bitter-child of my brother are warnings that must be known. Protect her for she is at risk from the one who knows now what was hidden._**'

"_As you wish_," Narssia whispered as she lowered her head in submission before looking back up to see Corruption had departed from her and left her alone in the dreamscape.

* * *

><p>Cracked stone first met his view as Corruption swirled between the broken rubble of the ruins of a formerly noble palace as he journeyed to see his brother. He had not planned on encountering Aker any more after he had killed him but, after hearing from Nuodasis, he was curious to see just how far his sibling had fallen from grace. It took him some time to sense a presence among the collapsed columns and shattered rocks as thick dust swirled through the air and threatened to cloud his dimmed mental abilities but he soon located the form of a weak white dragon laying trapped under a fallen pillar.<p>

'**_Aker?_**' He asked softly, hiding his form from his brother as he darted behind a partial column to await the dragon's response.

"_Who is it? I am not familar with that name. I am the dragon Mirage, father of the hybrid Tamli Dragonsbane_," Mirage muttered weakly as Corruption hissed in anger. His brother had become so lost in his own illusion that even he believed his own lie.

'**_Aker?_**' He tried again, moving to where only a small portion of his swirling form could be seen as he tried to think how his brother would have reacted had they not become so bitter with one another.

The sound of talons weakly scraping against rock echoed out to him and he chuckled as the dragon tried to move and then hissed, closing its eyes as he noticed its scales were covered in scratches. He reasoned it was from the number of times Aker had tried to pull himself out and he held back a sharp hiss of delight at knowing how badly messed up his sibling had become. As it would have caused him worry and concern in his youth, he now relished in the idea that he, Zagnoth, was stronger than the one that had cursed him to begin with.

"_That name . . . I have not heard that name for eons. Why must my son torture me like this?_" Aker muttered as Corruption resisted the urge to grin in pleasure at seeing the old dragon's misfortune.

'**_It is not Saconith-ti, I can assure you of that. He has other matters to attend to right now with the love of his life held captive by thine own distraught daughter, my dear brother._**'

A light he had not seen in his brother's eyes seemed to gleam brightly at the words and Corruption hissed, readying himself to leave should the dragon recognize him. From the best he could gather, the hybrid had gone on a rampage and attacked Aker before leaving to deal with the bitter-child that now knew more than she ever should have for her own good.

"_It is possible? Brother? Zagnoth, is that you?_" Aker whispered, awaiting a response that Zagnoth was unwilling to allow his brother to receive."_Brother, if it is truly you . . . I ask that thou remember the compassion thou once had for mine creations and extend it towards me now. Please forgive me for how I acted so long ago - although the exact deeds have since become dimmed by my mind as I told so many mis-truths to hide who I actually was. It was foolish to fight when neither of us were right and my cursing thou as I did to wander the world I had formed. I want to be by your side again as we once were . . ._"

'**_It is too late for forgiveness, Aker. You made your choice eons ago and I made mine. Feel blessed by thou psychotic hybrid son and bitter-wraith daughter, while I relish in the love of Axsanu and Nuodasis. We shall never meet again, dear brother._**'

Focusing his power on himself as he knew it would only last for a limited amount of time, Corruption felt himself start to change as he channeled his energy to alter his form back to what it once was. Two pairs of large crystalline wings folded around him as he felt the crown of six horns break through the back of his skull as a large mass of swirling smoke returned to being the twin-forked tail he had once cherished. With no arms or legs to use for support, he spread his wings and hovered in the air, feeling a large jagged row of spines erupt from his back and cascade down to the base of his tail. His gleaming turquoise eyes, pupils contracting into tiny slits, sought out the limp form of his brother as a gleeful chuckle escaped past his sharply pointed teeth as he bared his elongated fangs in triumph over the one who had tried for so long to be the better of the two.

'**_Thou dear Saconith-ti shall fall to thine mind-broken daughter. The act of death only brought her more grief, of which thou could have stopped had thou actually chose to interfere. I must admit I was appalled when he chose a mortal as his love but he will finally see why neither one of us were successful with taming thou irritate female scale-fliers. Silver was only thine's because thou created her to be forever in love with thou! She tried to flee but thou refused her to leave and cursed her much the way thou cursed myself only her punishment was more harsh. Turning her into a roving monster during thy's precious day went far beyond what thou did to me. That she-serpent was loyal to thou and thy cared more for petty things instead of building a relationship with her!_**'

Flapping his wings in contentment at being back to his true form, Zagnoth glided over to his trapped brother and stared him down, hearing in his quickened breathing how panicked he had become. It brought out a soft snort from him as he realized he could finally be rid of the shadow his sibling had cast over him and he parted his jaws slightly to allow a thin smoky mist to seep forth and circle the downed white dragon.

"_Silver was . . . was the closest thing to closure I had after I failed so miserably with you, Zagnoth_," Aker admitted sadly as Zagnoth noticed a single tear slide down the dragon's cheek. "_I know now that I treated her wrong. My anger and bitterness towards you fueled my decision to make her into that monster and, once she died and I joined her in the afterlife, I realized the errors of my ways._"

'**_Thou never hath learned the errors of thine race!_**' Zagnoth roared in response, feeling the power he had built up to turn into his true form fading.

With a disgruntled sigh, he returned to existing as a black mist and stormed away, leaving his brother to feebly continue to struggle to move out from under the fallen column.


	80. Sheltering Darknes

**Chapter 80-Sheltering Darkness**

Tiny bits of dust floated freely through the dim, murky air as Arxa wearily opened her eyes to see the area around her was not the dark jagged, rocky mountainside she had last encountered before blacking out. While the space was dimly lit, it was narrow with a rounded ceiling - although she could hear water dripping from farther inside. Gradually, the slow awareness of being inside a cave dawned over her as she glanced over her foreclaws. Her body was sore all over and she hissed softly as her wings brushed against the dusty, damaged black scales that lined her back. She glanced at her foreclaws again for closer detail and saw faint smudges of dirt masking the brilliant ivory whiteness that her mighty talons normally displayed - although it confused her as the last thing she remembered was smashing into rough terrain.

A barely audible click of talons on rocks abruptly caught her attention and Arxa turned her head towards the location of the sound, growling bitterly at herself as she pulled strained muscles in an attempt to stand. Her feeble attempt lasted for only a few seconds as her trembling legs gave out from under her and she landed hard on her underbelly, unable to quiet a shrill shriek that tore from her jaws as the pain threatened to overtake her. Unease slowly overtook her agony as she gradually lifted her head to see something moving along the ceiling that abruptly skidded away, its feet clicking sharply against the tightly packed rocks as the spirit thought she heard a raspy breath echo as the creature circled around.

Her attention was focused more sharply on the shadowy spider-like thing as she noticed it possessed a pair of wings - although hardly visible in the dim lightning - and also bore a tail that curved into a single tipped point. Confusion threatened to cloud her judgement as she tried to make sense of where she had seen such a creature before but her concentration was abruptly shattered when the strange beast leapt down in front of her and landed on four legs that ended in tips as each appendage curved inward to position the ends directly under its slim body. A dim gleam of light fell onto the spider's face and Arxa noticed two murky yellow eyes with slitted pupils starting back at her before it shrieked in protest and crawled up a wall to escape the illumination.

Those eyes reminded her of the dragoness Finca but she was uncertain if the wraith-turned scale-flier had descended so deep into the corrupting power that its very body had been changed. She certainly knew the forme she had seen fight Tamli was not the actually new body of the dead twisted soul. A low rasp from the spider creature forced her to clear her thoughts and she snarled, trying to get onto her feet once again. Her legs violently shook but held steady this time and she glanced up at the ceiling to see that the cave-dweller was no longer where she could see it.

A slight tremor ran up the base of her tail and Arxa dropped her head to glance over at her side as she pulled her tail over to her left side, only to be thrown to the floor as something landed directly on top of her. Even with being forced onto her tender underbelly, Arxa managed to send a weak blast of green fire against a wall that scared off the creature and let her catch her breath as the elemental attack drained much of the strength she had left. As she panted in exhaustion, she was suddenly slammed into on her side and rolled over, landing on her back and leaving her exposed underside open to attack. A brief glimpse of long mandibles met her gaze as she found her vision blurring and she tried to snap at the sight before a sharp bite into her shoulder provided to be too much for the weary spirit and she blacked out, leaving the new appearance of Finca to do to her what she wanted.

* * *

><p>'<strong><em>Hurry, Nuodasis! Every second we wait, the more Axsanu's life could be in danger<em>**,' Zagnoth urged her as Narssia struggled through fierce winds in search of her newly discovered 'sister' who she had always deemed as her other half while they had been together in one body.

"_As much as I would like to stop right now and have a word with you, I sense something is wrong. I am trying my best to combat these strong gales but I am the one flying, not the stripped-of-body spirit who complains all the time in a language I barely understand!_" Narssia snapped back, banking hard to the left as a sense of worry descended over her. She had just found out her relation to Arxa several hours prior and now the former dark spirit was now in harm's way with no idea to tell where exactly she had gone.

The fierce gales ripped at her scales as she suddenly dropped, going into a dive as she left the clouds she had been going through and now overlooked a fertile valley with the distant peak of a mountain some miles further away. She wasn't quite sure what had caused her to suddenly go into that risky dive, as she now stabilized herself with a flap of her wings, but she thought she saw lightning flicker from the direction of the mountain.

'**_The illumination? Perhaps it holds a key to finding Axsanu?_**' Zagnoth suggested as Narssia tried to mask the irritated growl that threatened to rise from her clenched jaws in protest.

Smoke rose from her nostrils as Narssia stretched her wings out as far as they would go, catching the surrounding wind around her to sharply raise her speed as she felt a dim echo of pain from Arxa run across their mental link. "_For just once, Father, would you be quiet! I know this is new to you, but I need time to think without you giving me a sharp pain in the back of my neck every time some little thing catches your interest._"

The wind carried her faster than she could have flown by herself as she tapped into one of the powers Arxa had killed for to guide the breeze into pushing her along. Narssia was pleased as her father quieted and refused to speak as the mountain came closer into view and she gently landed on a narrow cliff that led into a small cave where occasional flickers of blue lightning could be seen. Jumping back from one such stray bolt that barely passed by her chest within inches, she cautiously entered and was shocked into silence as she stopped and beheld the terrifying scene laid out before her.

Arcs of blue lighting engulfed the entire spacious interior of the cave as the powerful current swirled around one single individual. Black scales burned to a dark gray lay limp as the entire body of a dragoness hung suspended in the illumination, a fresh wound to her shoulder oozing blood as the electricity cocooned the scale-flier. Standing off from the swirling vortex of energy a few inches as the source of the voltage sparked from her mandible jaws, a dark spider-like figure stood with translucent patchy wings held high as it focused on the task before it and the smell of frying tissue spread throughout the medium-sized space.

"**_STAY AWAY FROM HER!_**"

A dark fireball burned forth from Narssia's jaws as she took a step forward, her eyes glowing white as Zagnoth lent her the use of his dark powers. The blast scorched the rocks next to Finca and she jumped in shock, abruptly cutting off her electric stream as she scurried backwards and up the wall behind her as several ice shards pierced the rocks next to the fast-moving wraith. Hearing Arxa drop to the floor as the lightning faded, a torrent of flame shot from the mouth of the enraged black dragoness at the twisted former scale-flier.

'**_Nuodasis, allow me to deal with the twisted spawn. I shall ensure she pays dearly for hurting Axsanu_**,' Zagnoth whispered as Narssia briefly glanced over at Arxa's crumpled form while hearing a pained shriek from Finca as the flames burned her.

"_Do it_," she snarled mercilessly as the twisting shadowy vapor she had known as Corruption rose up beside her and darted towards Finca, engulfing her as screams of pain and agony soon touched her heart as she made her way over to Arxa.

Blinking as her eyes regained their normal yellow color, Narssia sat down beside the fallen dragoness and quietly nuzzled her as tears threatened to gather in her eyes. The once black scales of the dark spirit were now an ashy gray, broken by occasional flickers of lingering electricity. A wound to her shoulder and one on her side worried Narssia. She could have prevented this, she could have come sooner and saved her sister from the torture that Finca had delivered. Her head lifted from Arxa's neck as she heard an intake of breath and looked hopeful as she saw Zagnoth slowly approach her from the corner of her eye.

Keeping her voice low as to not disturb Arxa, Narssia softly asked, "_Is Finca dealt with?_"

'**_Indeed, Nuodasis. I shredded her as only I am able to accomplish. My domain over this aspect of existence allows for such to occur. It was my fault that wraiths were formed to begin with and now I have taken care of the latest one to exist. How is Axsanu?_**'

Glancing down at Arxa's still body, Narssia nodded. "_It seems we got here just in time. I've always seen her so strong, so brave, and now for her to be like this just tears me apart._"

'**_It is not thou's fault, Nuodasis. Axsanu reacted on instinct when she fled and we know not all the details of what occurred . . ._**' His tone seemed to suggest a lingering sadness and Narssia was quick to detect that there was more going on than merely what she knew herself.

"_Her dreams. What were they? Don't lie to me, Father. I have a right to know._"

'**_Axsanu was plagued by dreams that I would find her unfit and kill her when she least expected it. I suspected it was that fear that drove her to flee and end up as we see her now._**'

As Narssia watched, Arxa's eyes fluttered briefly and she hissed to get Zagnoth to quiet. Nudging the damaged dragoness in front of her gently, she was awarded with a muffled snort that told her that her sister was soon going to be waking up and explaining what had happened to cause her to be in such a state. Two silver ringed irises met her bright gaze as the dark spirit gradually opened her eyes as a series of questions rippled from the she-dragon's mind timidly.

'_Who am I? Where is this place? Why can't I see anything?_'

'**_Axsanu, can thou not see? Thine eyes are open, yes?_**'

Narssia turned her head, snapping at Zagnoth as her teeth passed through the black mist that made up his body. "_Don't confuse her anymore than she already is! I will speak with her. Alone._"

Raising a wing to comfort Arxa as Zagnoth snarled in anger and retreated over to where he had shredded Finca, Narssia heard her whimper and fought the urge to curl up beside her as she draped her wing over the injured dark spirit's body. She could tell Arxa was scared but the words her sister had used haunted her mind relentlessly. Her sister, the one she thought of as her other half, was blind. Having no memory was problem enough but to be unable to see . . . The thought nearly broke her heart as she nuzzled her warmly and then winced in rejection as Arxa pulled away from the loving contact.

'_Stay . . . Stay back_,' Arxa snarled softly as she bared her teeth, curling up as she trembled in exhaustion.

"_Axsa- Arxa, please. I'm just trying to help you. Let me comfort you through this difficult time_," Narssia whispered as she silently cursed her father for even telling her what Arxa's original name had been.

'_No! I don't know you. I can't even see you. Why would you even help a blind runt like me?_'

"_Arxa, I know you don't understand much right now-_"

A sharp growl rose from her throat as Arxa turned her head to the left and stared down what she thought was Narssia but was actually just a rock. '_Now you question my mental state? Leave me alone, outsider! You don't know what I'm dealing with!_'

'**_Nuodasis, let me speak with her. If anyone can talk sense into her, surely her own blood can._**'

"_Zagnoth, do I need to knock myself unconscious just to make you be quiet! This is not helping Arxa in any form. Your twisted logic would only confuse her greater!_" Narssia shrieked, turning her head to glare at the swirling mass of black energy that composed her father.

'_Please stop! I don't know how I survived. **I don't know!** Leave me alone_,' Arxa sobbed, attracting the attention of the two as Narssia noticed her scraping her claws against her own already damaged scales.

"_Arxa . . ._" Narssia muttered, folding her wing back against her side as she reached out to nuzzle her sister, only to jerk back as a fear-induced scream burst from the amnesiac she-dragon's maw and left a blazing red circle on a wall close by.

'**_Axsanu, hath thou gained To'nus? Is thou communing with the spirits of the dead?_**'

"_To'nus? What is that? Does it make up for her being blind?_" Narssia asked as Arxa tried to move her wings and hissed in pain.

'**_The word comes from my ancient tongue, child. In Dragonic it translates to Second Sight and, indeed, it will make up for her lack of vision. To'nus is a gift from Aker, mine own brother, to those that are parted with their sight to see things in the realm of the deceased._**'

'_I said **I don't know! **Stop tormenting me, please!_' Arxa shrieked, visibly shaken by something as she trembled and tried to curl up tighter into a ball.

Seeing her sister so broken, Narssia sighed and got to her feet. "_So this is it's effect . . . leaving her unable to tell the dead from the living. She can't even see us to tell us off if she felt like it._"

'**_Fear not, Nuodasis, Axsanu will learn to recognize the difference between the dead and her periods of blindness. She is still in every regard your sister_**,' Zagnoth muttered softly as Narssia briefly lifted her wings from her back and stretched them out before tucking them back against her side.

"_Arxa, this will be hard to admit but we are sisters. Our father is here with us and I am willing to help you with whatever you need. I know the spirits plague you but listen to the sound of my voice and please understand that I will protect you from this trauma that threatens to overtake you._" Narssia tried to make her words sound as soothing as she could as she lifted her head and forced her mental presence to shield Arxa's weakened defenses.

Zagnoth's low growl of displeasure signaled to Narssia that she had done something wrong but she ignored him as Arxa wearily closed her eyes, exhaustion pulling the dark spirit into peaceful slumber. Moving her sleeping sister's head to rest on a rock, she sighed and turned around to join her father on the other side of the cave. The inner depths of the swirling black mass that composed his form rumbled ominously as she neared but she snarled at him in defiance and he slid over a few inches to give her room.

'**_Thou can't protect her all the time, Nuodasis_**,' he clarified as Narssia cast a tired glance towards Arxa. '**_The spirits shall eventually find out that thou are shielding Axsanu and thou's sanity shall be in danger as well. Why put thyself at risk simply because of her?_**'

"_Because I feel as though I've failed her so many times already. It is my way of making it up to her . . ._"

'**_Thou doesn't have to exhibit bravery in every situation, Narssia_**,' Zagnoth remarked, surprising her as she laid down and heard him refer to her by the name she had been given by Vanz. '**_I was weak and clinging to my sanity when I first implanted that crystal in your neck. It was selfish, however useful now due to our current situation concerning Axsanu . . ._**'

Shock caused a raspy growl to echo from deep in her throat as Narssia turned her head to face him. "_You just called me . . . Why? I thought you knew me only by the ancient name you had bestowed upon me._"

'**_I had not ignored the brief time thou spent with the traitor king, child. His mannerisms toward thou rubbed off on me the longer I lingered and it is hard to separate from them. He was so gentle with thou . . . almost as if he knew the hidden creature locked deep inside the depths of your mind._**'

Lowering her head to rest on her forelegs, Narssia snorted in mild amusement as Arxa twitched briefly and she strengthened the mental shield she had put in place as a precaution. "_We need to tell others about this . . ._" She trailed off, lost in thought for a moment before a quiet hum echoed through her mind that caused her to turn her attention to her father once again.

'**_Nuodasis, this must stay between us. Axsanu's current condition leaves her vulnerable and she would be in great danger if you were to take her back to the Compound._**'

"_But I could convince Nuri to help me keep her safe! He would understand, I know it!_" Narssia protested, lifting her head as her eyes glimmered with moisture.

'**_The young blood dragon is not the problem. It is those that feel Axsanu should never have been given that second chance at life thou bestowed upon her that-_**'

"_So my selfishness caused this, is that right? Well, forgive me for trying to see the good in even the worst dragons!_" A speck of saliva flew from her jaws as she snapped back at Zagnoth, sitting up as she brought her tail up by her right side and cast a concerned glance over at Arxa.

'**_I meant no harm by my words, Nuodasis. I just-_**' Zagnoth was interrupted by a shrill shriek from Arxa and Narssia winced, shaking her head as if it hurt from a headache. '**_It is the spirits? Daughter, speak to me!_**'

Narssia stood, advancing towards Arxa with unsteady steps as she trembled, feeling a crushing weight pressing down on her and the shield she had placed over her sister's mind. Her legs felt heavy as she shakily approached the dark spirit and placed the tip of her snout against the small hallow where the back of the lower jaw met the start of the neck. As much as she wanted to rage at Zagnoth and tell him this was all his fault for getting her into this mess, she knew it was a joint effort between both of them.

She sighed, realizing her idea to shield Arxa had put both of them in danger quicker than she had expected. The dead were fast to pick up on the mental block and come after her, that much her headache reminded her as she held back a fierce growl. Her sister hadn't ask for this when they had first separated . . . hadn't wished for the pain it now brought her in the form of blindness and amnesia. Whether she would get her memory back wasn't a question Narssia wanted answered right now with all that had happened so rapidly.

"_Zagnoth_," she whispered softly, hearing her sister's heartbeat as she closed her eyes. "_Is there any place we could take her to keep her safe?_"

'**_What does your heart say?_**' The aged deity questioned in response.

"_The cave where I first became aware of her presence_," Narssia replied as she eased the mental shield away, realizing she couldn't protect Arxa from this without the cost of losing her own sanity in the process.

'**_Then we take her there and wait._**'

She opened her eyes and glanced back at him cautiously, lifting her head as she felt the pain ease. "_Wait for what? Father, we can't just lock her up and pretend she never existed! Surely there must be some dragon that could at least help us with taking care of her . . ._"

A dark growl rose from Zagnoth as the black mist stretched out, slowly turning into a more dragonic shape. '**_Doth thou not think I want this for her? Axsanu was the one I had cursed to begin with by forcing her into thou and now I see the vile effects of what I did so long ago. I couldn't have kept all three of mine offspring alive for eons in the state Aker left me in so I did the only thing I have ever regretted never being able to correct . . ._**'

Understanding flooded Narssia at hearing the words spoken so plainly by her father and she turned to face him as Arxa's eyes fluttered briefly. "_When you put it that way, I understand the risk you've taken to get to this point. I am not proud of things I have done but I've never had to silence one of my own children and place their essence inside another - that act alone takes greater courage than I could ever be able to muster. For all the harsh words that I said towards you earlier, I'm sorry and I said those things in the heat of the moment. I never knew just how great a burden this was on you . . ._"

'_A burden he now sees staring back at him._' The voice, although softer than normal, still bore the coarseness Arxa was known for as a raspy cough tore its way up her throat.

"_You're awake. How do you feel?_" Narssia inquired as Arxa slowly lifted her head and coughed again, the sound more grating as a brief flicker of pain echoed across their mental link.

Ignoring Narssia's abrupt question concerning her health, Arxa straightened as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, her talons digging into the hard rocky floor underneath. '_I heard you bare your innermost thoughts out to her . . . to us_,' she whispered to Zagnoth, hesitating slightly. '_If you did regret such an action, why not correct it when given the chance?_'

'**_What are thou saying? Doth thou . . . ?_**'

Arxa wheezed, feeling the effect of the electricity used to cripple her as Narssia asked if she was alright. '_Don't pity my condition. I'm just-_'

The amnesiac dragoness would have finished her statement had it not been for an intense surge of pain gripping her and leave her breathless. Narssia seemed to sense it as Arxa weakly hissed, her forelegs trembling so much she was ordered to lay back down. Refusing to show herself as weak, the dark spirit stayed where she was as her scales suddenly lost what little luster they had and became cracked. The thin skin on her wings started to develop holes as violent coughing spells seized the vulnerable dragon, leaving Zagnoth concerned Finca had done more to Arxa than just the illumination he and Narssia had seen when they first arrived.

"_What's happening to her?_" Narssia asked softly as he came up beside her, reaching out with a bit of his shadowy form to curve around Arxa's jaw comfortingly.

'**_I have been wondering the same question, Nuodasis. My best guess is that the wraith did more to her than just the electricity show we saw upon our arrival. Why it didn't start happening until now is something that is concerning me as well . . ._**'

"_What about the wounds to her side and shoulder?_" Taking a glance at the mentioned areas, Narssia saw purple veins stretching out from the injuries and reasoned it was some kind of poison that had been injected into Arxa.

'**_Poison? I . . . I know this poison. This is from the same plant Dragonisicm is derived from but I don't understand why it's affecting her like this . . ._**'

Narssia glanced at him, an accusatory look in her eyes as another cough rattled Arxa and made the veins pulse. "_If you know about this then you know how to fix it_," she snarled at her father.

'**_Under normal conditions I would fix this myself but this is not the normal toxin. The wraith knew the effect her attacks would have and wanted Axsanu to die._**'

"_We can't let that happen! You know how much she means to me. I just find out my relation to her and now . . ._"

Arxa quieted her with a simple gesture as she brushed her decaying wing against Narssia's foreclaws, the symbolism understood by Zagnoth as he watched the two interact. Her frame wracked with violent shutters from the coughing spasms that gripped her, the dark spirit tried to act brave as her front legs collapsed under the strain and she fell onto her side. A pitiful shriek rose from the dragoness and their father advanced, ordering Narssia to back off as he drifted near the child he had hurt the most.

'**_Go and retrieve the blood hatchling if thou feels it will help_**,' he sneered as Narssia retreated a few steps before stopping and snarling at him.

"_I will do no such thing! Leaving her alone with you . . . with this monster that only now confesses to being my father. I would sooner endure a thousand years of having her in my head than to let her die while you stand watching and do nothing to save her._"

Turning around as she spoke, Narssia left and Zagnoth stared after her for a while until shifting his attention to his hurting child. It was times like this that he hated not having a physical body any longer, especially with Arxa suffering because of the poison.

'**_I shall not harm thee_**,' he whispered comfortingly as Arxa's claws began to show spots of dark gray as the toxin spread further through her body.

'_Why? Why did you stay?'_ Arxa rasped between fits of coughing, her rattling breaths filling Zagnoth with dread. '_You could save us both the trouble and just end this. The dragoness . . . she wouldn't need to know._'

'**_I refuse to end thy life, Axsanu. Nuodasis cares more for thou than thou will ever realize. It would destroy her if I had to inform her of thou's death, my child._**'

Arxa lifted her head slightly, closing her eyes as she clenched her jaws in concentration. '_Be honest with me. I am not going to survive, am I?_'

'**_The answer is not mine to give-_**'

'_The spirits claim you can fulfill my request. You've put some of them here . . . Why not just finish speeding things up and go back to that dragon with the knowledge you did what was right . . ._'

Zagnoth growled softly, circling around her as he spread his vapor to surround her comfortingly. He would continue to refuse to end her life, simply because killing her would never heal the gaping wound in him from where he had first set things into motion and threw her into her sister's mind.

'**_There is so much thou lost . . . So much we both lost when thine memory was taken_**,' he whispered mournfully.

'_What do you mean?_' Arxa's voice quivered slightly as Zagnoth sighed and reached out towards her with his mind, intending to find out more about the attack she had endured by Finca.

He tried to be gentle as he examined her thoughts, peering past them to dive deeper into the persona of his daughter. The unique power that fueled him allowed him to go past the blanket of amnesia that had settled on her and reach back into those moments before she was forever changed. Wave after wave of guilt crashed into him as he watched her struggle against the wraith and be bitten before being shocked with so much voltage it was a wonder she was even before him in the state she was currently in.

'_Get out of my head!_'

A shrill snarl was all the warning Zagnoth got before he was thrown backwards telekinetically, forcibly ripped from her mind as he smashed against the same wall he had shredded Finca against. Dazed by the ferocity Arxa had just displayed, he focused his unsteady senses on her and saw her form wreathed in shadows, her eyes burning white as she bared glowing red fangs at him. Collecting his wispy essence together, he rose and started towards her, nudging at her roiling thoughts in an attempt to make peace with her and explain what he had been doing when she violently interrupted him.

'**Stay back!**' The words shimmered with uncontrollable rage as she snarled them through clenched teeth, rising onto her legs as sheer fury drove her to ignore the pain and blindness that had kept her grounded.

'**_Axsanu, let me explain. I-_**'

Malice surged from her as she let out a deafening roar, drowning out the rest of the apology Zagnoth had tried to make. '_No excuses! You were trying to make my amnesia permanent! Rid yourself of one more threat . . ._' Arxa snorted in muffled amusement and took a step forward. '_I've seen past the lies you told . . . What was her name again? Oh, yes, Nuodasis . . . You thought you could try to pass off this time with me as keeping me safe when you want nothing more than to just kill me and take my body as your new vessel! I heard all of the conversation you had with her, heard the longing in your voice for a body of your own that wasn't restricted by that wretched curse your brother placed upon you_.'

Arxa paused briefly, allowing Zagnoth time to hear the dim sound of approaching wingbeats. Realizing it was two different pairs of wings, although nearly similar in sound, he reasoned Nuodasis had found her blood offspring and was returning just when he had a very uncontrolled situation before him. He had never seen Axsanu so fury-driven before but it worried him to think what it was doing to her already exhausted body . . . and what his abrupt removal from searching through her pre-amnesiac memories would mean for her.

'**_Axsanu, listen to me. Your anger is justified but I would never try to claim your body as my own. The rage you feel is brought on by what was done to you . . ._**' Zagnoth tried to explain as ice shards tore through the mist that made up his form, feeling the chilled strikes land more than just physical blows as Arxa shrieked in feral rage.

'_Liar_,' she hissed darkly as she lifted her right foreleg and he felt a jagged bolt of electricity rip across the swirling black mist of his frame. '_You deserve to . . ._'

Her eyes flickered, the shadows fading as the rush of power ebbed away and she collapsed. Rushing to her side, Zagnoth supported her gently as best he could as he heard the sound of talons striking stone and knew Nuodasis had returned with the blood hatchling just as he had gotten things under control.

"_What was she trying to say?_" Narssia asked as she approached, leading a bewildered Nurus as the hatchling glanced between the ice shards imbedded in the wall and Arxa's collapsed form on the ground.

'**_I do not know, Nuodasis_**,' Zagnoth muttered softly, knowing full well the malicious intent behind Arxa's words.

"_What happened here?_" Nuri's question was timidly spoken and the aged deity welcomed the hesitant inquiry after what he had just been through with his own child.

Narssia snorted softly before unfolding a wing and motioning Nuri to stand beside her. "_Here's the basic information you need to know, my son. Arxa and I are, in fact, sisters. Our father is . . . well you know him as Corruption. Long story short, Mirage was his brother a long time ago and they once ruled before our species even came into being. Fights were had and my father was cursed to roam among the mighty beasts his brother had made, only able to become one of them every thousand years for twenty days. Demoralized by the events, my father became a mere shadow of himself and wandered looking for the children he had bore from his own spirit. Those three he had blessed as his descendants were Arxa, Cyril, and myself but he did not have enough power to keep all three alive for such a length of time and so he tore Arxa from her egg and placed her essence inside of me . . ._"

"_Wait! You mean to tell me that I'm descended from some deity I never knew of until now? And I'm not just the only one, all the offspring you bore are this magical half-god special creature? Why not just come right out and tell me when you first found out?_" Nuri snapped back, interrupting her as Zagnoth sighed at the young dragon's shock to the startling knowledge.

'**_Young blood runt, thou are not half-god. Only your mother and her siblings are able to admit to such. The royalty ends with the blood of the three chosen and continues no further_**,' Zagnoth clarified as he nodded to Narssia to continue informing her son.

"_For reasons unknown, Arxa left and we followed her here but our arrival was met by Finca trying to kill the spirit I had just discovered was my own blood. Zagnoth, known by you as Corruption, dealt with her as I watched Arxa fight for her life. She has no memory now and was rendered blind from the electrical shock of the attack by the wraith_," Narssia concluded as she glanced at her father to see he was distracted by something else. "_Father, is everything fine? You seem less talkative than you were when I left. Did something happen with Arxa while I was gone?_"

'**_The poison, remember we briefly discussed it before I ordered thou to find the blood hatchling? I didn't recall it's name at first but now I know what the other part of the Dragon's Blood Flower is that reacts so violently under normal circumstances . . .Silckskin, the most deadly portion of the toxic plant and the reason why all dragons that near the flower never escape._**'

"_And this means what for her? Don't be cryptic about this_," Narssia commanded as Nuri walked over to Arxa and licked her snout gently.

Zagnoth sighed, the sound coming out rattled. '**_When I designed the flower, I only intended for the plant to used to give struggling species a chance at survival and not have them be overrun by my brother's creations. In saying that, my wish had been for only the Dragonisicm aspect to be used as a shield against the vile scale-fliers, not the entire flower itself. Given my status as creator of it, I alone knew what it could do if both parts were brought together inside an organism . . ._**' He paused briefly, steadying his wildly swirling mist form as he collected his composure. '**_When both parts are together, the substance acts much like Dragonisicm alone, at least at first. The weakness, the appearance of spotty patches on the body, but eventually the Silckskin makes itself know. Violent shifts in mood, uncontrollable outbursts, and a dragon sometimes displays elements it has never used before . . . As time wears on, the creature will beg for death and will start coughing up blood but each agonizing moment only makes the mood changes more apparent. None that have been exposed to both parts of the toxic plant have survived and usually have died a graphic and bloody death as their body's organs fail and the amount of blood coughed up becomes too much to replace._**'

Unable to stop himself, Zagnoth glanced over at Arxa in worry, knowing from those few precious moments before her amnesia that Finca had somehow injected her with a liquid-based variant of the complete flower's two deadly toxins in both her shoulder and her side. His daughter was dying before his very eyes and he could do nothing to save her as she suffered the cruel effects of a vicious substance he had intended only to give other species a chance at life.

"_Is there anything we can do to help?_" Nuri inquired, the blood hatchling bringing him back to attention as he glanced towards the special dragonet and its mother.

'**_There is something we can do . . ._**'

Narssia turned her gaze to him, her yellow irises glistening brightly. "_Tell us then, Father. I will not just stand here and watch her die after I just find out she is indeed my own sister. If you know something then speak!_"

'**_I suspect when she broke free from you that she formed her own body, correct? If so, then there is still a chance this could work . . . We would just need to find the spot where her original body rests and-_**'

Narssia growled, interrupting him as she slapped her tail against the floor to get Zagnoth and Nuri focused on her. "_Wait! Did you just say what I thought I heard? Arxa has an original body? I thought-_"

'**_When we spoke in the mental plane I said I had placed her essence inside thou, Nuodasis. Her body is safe, at least it should still be . . ._**'

"_Um, how exactly is her body still in one piece? Wouldn't it have decomposed by now? It has been eons, right?_" Nuri questioned, needing clarification as Narssia nodded in agreement with her son.

Realizing the blood dragon was being smart to ask something he might have overlooked, Zagnoth chided himself for neglecting to mention the importance of it earlier to Nuodasis. Collecting his mist tighter together, he gave a growl of mutual agreement and cast a quick glance at Axsanu before switching his attention back onto his other daughter and her child.

'**_When I forced her essence into thou, my dear, I had a sense I might need to protect her body should anything come up later that may require need of it. Acting fast, I cocooned her lifeless form in layers of magic and stored it away under a place where the precious light of my sibling would be unable to reach her . . . Of course I could always do to her again what I did in the first place. If I did, everything she has done to make herself individual from thou would be lost as she is shoved-_**'

"_No! Arxa will not give up her own freedom and personal growth just to become trapped in my mind again. I refuse to let you do that to her_," Narssia snarled, glancing at Arxa as the amnesiac dragoness coughed lightly.

Zagnoth wasn't surprised at her reaction and he suppressed a chuckle of amusement. '**_Very well then, Nuodasis. The only other option I present to thou is essence transfer . . ._**'

"_What is essence transfer?_" Nuri questioned as he backed away from Arxa and went to stand by his mother.

'**_Basically a way of . . . trading a physical body with another. This is dark magic that only my brother and I knew of for the longest time but eventually a group of devoted mortal two-legs were found by me to be favored enough to pass the knowledge along. It is a dangerous process that is normally preferred to be done by a same gender pair as to avoid further complications. Done correctly, though, it can give the one that wants to live the means of doing so while the one it switched with is . . ._**' Unable to bring himself to admit the normal result of performing an essence transfer, Zagnoth allowed his words to drift off into silence as his mist gently swirled and rippled.

'_The one it is switched with dies. Just come out and say it. No matter what happens, I'll be the one that pays the price_,' Arxa whispered softly and gradually as she lay with her eyes closed and each breath leaving her shaky and wheezing.

"_That's not true. We can- We will find a way to save you_," Nuri declared boldly as Zagnoth noticed him shrink back a little bit in realization of what would actually happen to her.

'**_The choice is up to thou, my child. What choice shall we take? I will do everything in my power to save her but my strength is weakened by the curse and I fear we waste too much time standing here while an option could be decided upon._**'

Zagnoth could see the unease surrounding Narssia as her eyes flickered between Arxa and Nuri several times before she whispered, "_We will go search for her body. I do not like this choice but it is the only one I can live with at the moment. Let us hope your memory is sharp enough to remember where you put it, Father._"

'**_Very well_**,' he hummed in contentment, pleased with her decision as he had been leaning towards it himself. '**_Blood hatchling, we will leave shortly so I ask thee to watch over Axsanu and inform me of anything abnormal she might do while the toxin rages inside her._**'

"_How am I supposed to know if it is abnormal for her?_" Nuri questioned uncertainly.

Zagnoth snorted, amused by how cautious Nuri was acting around him with Axsanu so impaired by the poison. '**_Thou will know if she starts to act strange. Nonetheless, contact me the moment thou suspects anything._**'

Bowing his head, Nuri spread his wings back behind him in a display of understanding and submissiveness that Zagnoth recognized from the old blood dragons he once knew during his brother's control over paradise. He hummed softly, signaling the hatchling to rise before he turned to Narssia and motioned them to start the journey to find Axsanu's original body. Letting his daughter walk over to the cave's entrance, he paused and retreated to the dragoness laying on the floor.

'**_Sleep well, my daughter. We shall return soon and thou shall once again be whole. Until that time, rest and obey the blood hatchling._**' He briefly brushed his mist against her snout before rejoining Narssia and leaving the cave.


	81. Fighting Instinctual Losses

**Chapter 81-Fighting Instinctual Losses**

Nuri wasn't sure which he hated more: Arxa in her weakened state or the dark entity his mother had claimed was her father.

In the hours following the departure of Narssia and Zagnoth, he tried to make the spirit comfortable as her temperature changed from raging fever levels to so low he was scared she wouldn't wake up if she drifted off to sleep. Her temperament also was wildly unstable as one moment she would be cloaked in shadows and threatening to rip his head off while the next she would be huddled up shivering in fear of some unknown thing. The variance between the highs and lows was enough to make him beyond frustrated but he kept reminding himself that she would get better just as soon as the old deity's ancient memory could locate where exactly he had put her former body.

Resting on his underbelly as he cast a weary glance at Arxa to see she was asleep for the moment, he sighed and reached out with his mind to find the one dragon he thought would believe him if he told what all Narssia had revealed to him. Settling his choices on Sitedal as he knew his elder brother had seen some odd things during his life, he hoped the fear-users trust in their mother was enough to convince him that they were related to a god.

"_This is highly unexpected_," Sitedal growled softly as Nuri finished informing him of what he had learned. "_Mother and Arxa really are sisters then. Do you need any help with keeping an eye on her?_"

"_Zagnoth told me that only I should watch her but I was thinking we could celebrate the old life she had after this is over and she is back to being healthy again_," Nuri muttered as he flicked the end of his tail and felt his jaws ache, a sign he had to feed shortly.

"_I hate to be the voice of reason here but why would anyone think she did any good? She killed Raxmon, had a hand in the death of Jormundur, and stripped Ladetis of his wings . . . Do I need to name anything else?_"

Nuri quietly sighed, having temporarily forgotten the grievances Sitedal had against Arxa. Bits of dust sprinkled down onto the stone floor as he contemplated in silence for a few minutes. He still thought the idea was worthy of their involvement and he tried again to convince his brother to go along with it.

"_I don't completely disagree with you, but who would even show up? We would need another reason to gather together the dragons of the Compound, Nurus_." There was little point in denying Sitedal was right and Nuri realized the older dragon did speak truthfully.

"_The Compound needs a new leader, doesn't it? We could have that be the reason everyone gathers_," he replied, the youthfulness of his age clashing with the more mature tone he normally held.

There was a pause from Sitedal and Nuri thought his brother was analyzing the possible idea. "_That actually could work. Now to figure out who we would get to lead now with Dhran's abrupt death making all the humans uneasy about taking the position . . ._"

"_I have an idea of someone we could choose. Before you decide to end our talk, could I get you to come up here and meet me? My jaws are aching and-_"

Nuri realized a little too late he had never told Sitedal what Zagnoth had originally said to him about him being a blood element dragon and he snarled softly in bitterness towards himself as he ground some pebbles into tiny bits under his left foreleg. He glanced at Arxa as he heard a low whimper rise from her direction and he saw she was now awake, shaking severely as the dark gray spots on her horns and claws spread further. Any semblance she had of wings was quickly fading as more jagged tears spread across the fragile membranes, something he knew she would have raged about had she been in her right mind.

"_Nuri, I'll come up there to give you time to hunt but I won't be able to stay for long. When I return to the Compound, I'll see if I can start gathering dragons to join us in selecting the newest leader. We shall list it under those circumstances and only a select few will know our other reason for inviting the multitude of scale-fliers to join us._"

"_Very well, I'll wait for you then_," Nuri muttered sadly, lowering his head to his forepaws as he withdrew from the mental communication and returned to watching the dragoness he viewed differently from most.

* * *

><p>His claws landed roughly on the rock outcropping leading to the isolated cave that lay nearly two miles away from the Compound as he pushed aside the thoughts in his mind that warned him to turn away while he still had the chance. Coming at the request of his younger sibling had not been what Sitedal had originally wanted but he realized how important it was to Nuri that he come and distract Arxa while the hatchling went to hunt. Walking inside the small interior, he sniffed the air and detected the lingering scent of burned flesh that caused him to shudder briefly before approaching the resting black dragons and nudging his brother awake.<p>

It had been several hours since Nuri had first alerted him but he had been busy at the time and was only able to go after promising Verdra he wouldn't be long. She was started to come into heat again but he wasn't willing to risk endangering her life if the conflict Arxa had helped to aid was not fully over. Noticing his brother lay beside the damaged dragoness with a wing over her body sent a warm feeling through him, causing him to try and repress his instincts as he nudged the young blood scale-flier with the tip of his snout.

When Nuri did not stir after the light push, Sitedal shoved harder and growled darkly, "_Get up, brother. Let's make this hunting trip of yours quick so I can get back to Verdra._"

Red irises slid open gradually as Nuri awoke, licking his jaws before realizing the close proximity to Arxa that had occurred while he was waiting for Sitedal to arrive. Pulling his wing back quickly, he growled and moved over a few inches as the older dragon watched and tried not to chuckle at his brother's expense. If he had to guess, he assumed that his sibling was seeking more than just friendship with their mother's sister.

"_What took you so long?_" Nuri growled as he reluctantly got to his feet and sheepishly avoided looking at Arxa as the brothers walked over to stand against one of the walls.

"_I was overseeing a meeting of environmentally concerned earth dragons when you first contacted me_," Sitedal replied as he noticed the scales on Nuri's snout looked moist. Not wanting to ask the hatchling for a reason as to why that might be, he continued, "_Verdra flagged me down after I managed to escape that boring chatter and well . . . we sort of went back to our chamber and started to mate. I say started to because I stopped things before we went too far but I promised her that this wouldn't take long and that I would return shortly._"

Nuri's attitude seemed to darken as he snorted, "_How considerate of you to put off her advances and rush to my aid. Verdra is your mate so go make her happy. I will find time to hunt later._"

"_I made my choice to come,_" he growled as he flared out a wing to silence Nuri before the dragon tried to say anything in argument. "_Verdra knows I put my family above everything else . . ._"

"_She's your mate, Sitedal!_"

"_And you want to mate with our aunt!_" Sitedal roared before realizing exactly what he had just said in the heat of the moment.

The blood dragon lowered his head in shame as Sitedal retreated a step, trying to figure out how to fix what he had admitted. Verdra wasn't the only one feeling on edge, he decided after a moment of silence between them. A light whimper from Arxa broke the two from their separate thoughts and they turned their heads to see her open her eyes and glanced around nervously before swatting in front of her at nothing.

"_Memory loss and blindness, anything else?_" Sitedal inquired as a gust of wind sent a strong scent towards them that dimly registered in his mind as coming from Arxa.

"_Well, she has violent mood swings_," Nuri admitted as the dragoness shuddered and curled up to find warmth.

Noticing her horns and claws were covered in gray patches and her scales no longer had the normal luster of a healthy dragon, Sitedal figured there was something else going on that Nuri refused to tell him. Glancing her over as he held himself in check, he saw the tattered remains of her wings briefly flutter uselessly before folding back against brittle covering overlaying tender skin. Her irises were dim and she struggled to keep her eyes open as a raspy cough escaped her, leaving her wheezing as she spat out a few droplets of blood onto the granite floor.

"_Is there something you're not telling me? She looks like she's about to die, Nuri!_"

The hatchling sighed softly, scratching at the floor under his claws. "_That's because she is dying. Mother left with our grandfather to find a way to save her. He left me in charge before they went looking several hours ago._"

"_Let me get this straight, she's dying and you find it perfectly acceptable to mate with her. Do you not understand that she is our aunt? We are blood related to her, Nurus._"

"_I didn't mate with her_," Nuri growled softly, almost protectively. "_She had a nightmare and I was comforting her. That is all that you saw when you entered. It's lonely for her with no memory and being blind. I'm the closest thing to a friend she has during this trying time._"

Nodding his head in understanding, Sitedal snorted in relief. "_Sorry I overreacted. I guess both Verdra and I are on edge. We are hopeful that this attempt turns out better than our last clutch did. Losing the two as they were just about to hatch really hurt us but we're moving past it as best we can._"

"_I'm glad for that. Now go make her night one that she'll never forget, brother! I think I can control myself for a few more hours._"

Sitedal growled warmly in thankfulness before spreading his wings and flying out, eager to return to Verdra as his wrongful accusation of Nuri lingered in his mind. He had been quick to judge his younger brother for wanting to mate with their aunt and he was deeply sorry for the error in thinking he had made when he has first arrived.


	82. Dark Revelations

**Chapter 82-Dark Revelations**

Narssia ignored the cold stinging her snout as she flew, feeling tiny pieces of ice collide with her leathery wings as she trailed over a dense snowy landscape. Her father's ancient directions had lead them to the vast wasteland of an isolated island above the northern border of the mainland in search of the original body of her sister. She was thankful for once that she had gained the element of wind to speed up the flight, although the black mist swirling beside her had little trouble keeping up with her quick speed. Having never expected the former form of Arxa to be out in a place essentially inhabitable to dragons, she had not had time to steel herself for the cold conditions but made the best of it that she could as she soared just under dense gray clouds.

Seemingly endless forests of tall trees spread out below her as ice crystals gathered on her jaws and she felt tempted to go up into the clouds to give herself some relief from the chilling winds and sleet that pelted her body. Zagnoth showed no signs of slowing down as he stayed close by her, although seemingly lost in thought as the back of her neck didn't hurt as it normally would if he wished to communicate with her. Once Arxa was safe and out of danger, she promised herself she would see to him removing the gem and letting her live her own life. Finally the silence had dragged on for long enough and she reached out with her mind to ask him a single question.

"_Do you remember where you left it?_"

It took Zagnoth several minutes to respond to her, his words drawn out as if he was still distracted by something else. '**_I remember, Nuodasis._**'

"_How is Nuri holding up? Heard anything from him?_" She growled softly as she flapped her wings, hating having to press him to talk but it was unlike Zagnoth to stay so reserved and quiet.

'**_He's fine._**' Yet another short answer worried her even more but Narssia decided to let the matter drop, focusing on observing the landscape under her as trees gave way to old abandoned houses that had partially collapsed from the amount of snow pressing down on them over the years.

"_Was this desolate place ever settled in?_"

'**_A group of nomads have used it over the years. Magic-users that I shared secrets with back when my hatred at my brother drove me to try anything I could to get back at him_**,' Zagnoth informed her absentmindedly as she felt something holding him back from embracing their discussion fully as he normally would have with a lengthy flight.

Dropping into a shallow dive to switch into another air current, Narssia could see the walls were made of reinforced concrete that had withstood hundreds of years of wear in less than favorable conditions. It increased her curiosity but she kept her silence and let him dwell on whatever was making him so distant from her. With no one to talk to, she found her thoughts turning to Arxa and she realized she was worried about her sister's survival. Zagnoth had assured he that she would be fine after he reunited her essence with her original body but she was still skeptical and fearful the aged deity wouldn't hold true to his promise.

A sharp growl from her father forced her out of her thoughts and she glanced around for him to see him descending to the ground just outside of one of the homes she had passed over not a minute before. Whirling around to catch up to him, she pressed her wings tight against her back and dropped into a fast dive, pulling up just so she could land on her feet and stabilize herself before following after him as he entered the ruined building. Her talons crunched on packed snow as her tail dug through the white powder and she slowly passed through a crumbling overhang that had originally been the front door. There was barely enough space for her to crawl through as she lowered herself and dragged her underbelly against the cold ground, repressing a shudder as she folded her wings against her side and went into what was once the living room.

It had been medium sized at first but with one wall now knocked down and snow blowing in without restraint, Narssia could barely envision the space as it had formerly been during the time it had been used. Barely catching a glance of Zagnoth as he trailed down a narrow corridor towards the back of the room, she ignored her observation of the destroyed area and followed after him. The small walkway gradually sloped downward and eventually she stopped feeling a chill beating against her scales as the air warmed slightly. No longer having to deal with snow making visibility difficult, she relaxed a little bit and picked up her pace as it lead her out into a large circular room with various cells fashioned into the walls with silver beams that shimmered occasionally with a sickly green glow.

"_What is this place?_" She asked softly, seeing Zagnoth had stopped at the center of the room and she took a step towards him in curiosity.

'**_Do not approach the cells. We are not here for them but are here to recover Axsanu's body._**' The harsh tone and abrupt avoidance of what she wanted to know worried her slightly as Narssia cast another glance around the room to see most of the cells that she could clearly make out were empty.

One particular imprisonment was shaded in shadows as her gaze had originally traveled over it but now as she took another glance at Zagnoth's still form, she heard the sound of chains weakly rattling. Curiosity perked by the noise, she lifted her head and took a step towards the location only to get snarled at by her father for ignoring the orders he had given her. She had tried to talk with him earlier and yet now he wished her to obey him completely without question when he had failed to tell her much of anything previously. Anger briefly rose within her at the thought but she subdued it and sighed heavily, focusing on him as he swirled around a single spot on the cold stone floor that was stained with occasional dirt smudges.

Choosing to leave him to focus on getting Arxa's body, Narssia walked over to the cell she had heard movement from and froze upon seeing what exactly was inside it. A woman hung chained to the back wall of her prison, long black hair obscuring her face as both her wrists and ankles were fitted with thick black cuffs and her arms hung above her body. Dried blood residue covered her wrists as the she-dragon looked over the rest of her body and saw bruises and healing cuts covering slightly muscular arms and legs as she wore a loose fitting white tank top and black shorts. Jolting sharply awake, gray eyes snapped open as the female prisoner strained against the bondage and stared at Narssia in utter fear.

Retreating a step as she realized who it was that she was seeing, Narssia quickly glanced at Zagnoth to see he was busy doing some kind of ritual to bring Arxa's body to the surface from whatever depth he had plunged it into when he had buried it the first time. She was staring at Nethial, the former human love of Tamli and the one whose daughter he had taken and begun to train. With Finca dead now, she was surprised to find the human had survived but noticed something odd as shimmering veins stretched along the captive's arms briefly before vanishing and leaving small little white scales in their place. The horror of her discovery didn't affect her at first until she thought back to what little information she knew about the woman and then reminded herself that the hybrid had loved her and had a child with her before he had known of his unique nature.

"_What is Nethial doing here? Father, what is this place? Answer me!_" She snarled, demanding an answer as she turned to face him and saw the black mist that formed him peeling away like smoke.

The skin that was left behind toughened up quickly to reveal thick black scales slick with a glossy appearance as murky yellow spines trailed from his neck to his tail. Six impressive horns crowned the base of his skull as turquoise irises gleamed with new light and he raised his twin-forked tail high enough for Narssia to catch a glimpse of dark blue scales lining his underside. His snout was long and lean, showcasing a small horn right behind his nostrils in a shallow dip that bore the same coloration as the spines that adorned his back. A large ruby gem lay snug where the dragon's heart would be and it pulsed as those it acted in place of the necessary body organ. Two sets of large crystalline wings sparkled with the distant glow of stars as he flapped them in contentment and Narssia trembled in awe at seeing the majesty of her father in his original form as the regal co-ruler of the cosmos prior to their planet being formed by his brother.

"_What happened?_" The timidness she knew he heard from her had slipped in by accident as her awe of his new form caused her voice to waver slightly.

**'**_Aker came to me and told me I had finally shown the humility he always knew I possessed. He said he was proud to be called my brother now and blessed me by reversing the curse he had placed upon me. _****_Any dragon that is willing to lay down their life for that of their own child is surely showing the greatest lowering of pride there can be_****_ - he made that clear to me before leaving and letting me draw upon the magic I had when I placed her in this state to bring her out of it_.**'**

Sparkling blue irises seemed to linger on her as Narssia looked away from the impressive stature of her father and turned her attention back to Nethial to see the woman had closed her eyes and was shuddering slightly. Having wanted to ask why the former rider was now in chains, the question seemed trivial compared to when she would get to see her sister restored to perfect health. Sending up a cloud of dust with her tail, she moved around to face him and watched as the ground in front of him crumbled away. From out of the dark gaping hole now in the floor, a small bundle wrapped in swirling rainbow-colored magic rose until it hovered over the open pit and the ground that had dissolved away returned as though nothing had disrupted it in the first place.

Lifting himself so that the red gem in his chest was at the same height as the magic-wrapped object, Zagnoth muttered a few words in a language Narssia had never heard and the crystal glowed brightly, as did the smaller one in the back of her neck. Pain seared its way through her mind, bringing with it an echoing reminder of the words her father had just spoken in the alien tongue and she closed her eyes, shaking her head to try and ease the burning agony. When she opened her eyes again, the rainbow light was gone and a small black form floated in mid-air as a gentle amber aura surrounded it from the stone in the deity's chest.

"_Is that . . . ?_" Her words came out in a whisper as she looked closer and saw the entire small body was a charcoal black under the light that kept it levitating.

'**_Indeed, Nuodasis, that is Axsanu as I last knew her. Now comes the moment that I ask thou to close the mind link and resist her urge to reestablish it. This will bring her greater agony than she hath ever felt before and I do not wish for thou to go through it as she does_**,' Zagnoth commanded as he flapped his large wings and exchanged a soft look with her before opening his maw and screeching, the volume of the sound forcing Narssia to retreat a few steps as she closed herself off from Arxa's damaged mind and waited for him to begin.

She dimly felt Arxa in pain as the frail body before them glowed softly and seemed to draw color into itself as the air warmed considerably. The areas that had been black when she first looked were now a dark gray as she heard the sound of a heartbeat coming from the tiny dragon. Long wings dropped from the force of gravity and Narssia noticed they had the same starlit appearance as what she had seen from Zagnoth. A small head also had the elongation that her father had shown and four pitch-black horns curved out back behind to rest above her neck. Both front and back legs had four claws each while her tail ended in a sharp tip.

"_She's not going to be happy she lost that scythe-like tailblade_," Narssia muttered to herself as the dragon's eyes snapped open and she found herself being stared at by amethyst irises clouded in confusion.

Zagnoth gradually set Arxa down and hovered silently as the awakened dragoness glanced around rapidly in panic before closing her eyes and shaking her head. Narssia hesitantly took a step towards her only to get snarled at as the she-dragon reopened her eyes and bared her teeth in warning.

"_Arxa, relax. You're safe. Father helped you and now you're better._"

'_Agh, agh, ne dusi . . ._' The words came quick and broken, sounding to Narssia like Arxa was in panic and fear as the unknown language made no sense to her.

While Narssia had no knowledge of the language, Zagnoth certainly did as he growled softly in interest at Arxa's words. '**_Ne dusi lu anqi? Vo Wvyi?_**'

'_Wvyi_,' she replied, calming down some as Narssia realized Zagnoth knew how to communicate with her where she could understand them.

"_What happened to her? What did you say to her that calmed her down?_" Narssia asked as she glanced between her sister and her father as Arxa sat stiff-straight and continued to look around in panic as her eyes flickered rapidly from one side of the room to another.

'**_Something went wrong with the magic. She has some memories back but they are from when I pulled her from her body and threw her into your mind to reduce the strain on myself. All she knows is a language Aker and I used eons ago and she sees you as an enemy_**,' he informed her as Arxa snarled at Narssia briefly and then shuddered, the air temperature dropping back to the slight chill it had.

"_Don't tell me that she's cold_," Narssia growled as she watched her sister flinch and snap at open air, her amethyst irises wide open in fear.

Zagnoth hummed softly, flapping his wings again as the gem in his chest gleamed softly. '**_No, I don't think so. I think it's her way of trying to cope with everything around her. I can ask if you are curious though._**'

"_Thanks for the offer but __I'll pass,_" she snapped back as Arxa hesitantly brushed against her mind for a brief second before retreating and staring wide-eyed at the cell Narssia knew was the one that housed Nethial.

'_Agh! Ne ri . . . Ne ri!_' Arxa's shuttered words gave Narssia a good idea she was terrified and she sighed, walking over to the scared dragoness and pointing her towards the direction they had come down from to get into the underground room.

'**_She's scared, Nuodasis. Why would you think she would simply go along with you?_**'

"_Because_," Narssia remarked as she went behind Arxa and tried to push her forward, "_she surely isn't going to be doing us any good sitting here in this dismal place freezing to death. We need to get back to Nuri and tell him what happened with-_"

Narssia was mid-sentence when she felt the sharp tip of a tail smack the scales on her chest and she flinched at seeing a single amethyst eye glaring at her in uttermost hatred. Her own sister loathed her, at least that's what Zagnoth said, and the thought sent a chill down her spine at the realization she had lived in disgust of Arxa for nearly seven years while the opposite had held true for eons. It was petty for her to still hold resentment for the deaths her sibling had caused but she reasoned that the trauma of being stuck in a place where you couldn't move or even voice your opinion for thousands of years had to have dealt irreversible damage to the fragile she-dragon's psyche.

'_Qa, dusa. Ki jua ne frul ve su'o ga mu'xe. Ne hua gre zu ge xam tae su. Wo gy ji xa buc xa qin puq wo fla aghu ezy khu wo juk xa . . ._'

Having no understanding of the words spoken, Narssia looked to Zagnoth for a translation of the broken tongue Arxa now spoke in. '**_Yes, dragoness. You see the damaged state my mind is in. The remaining fragments of memory that haunt me. I can try to learn to forgive but I am not sure if I want to . . ._**' He paused for a moment before adding, '**_The bond you two share is adjusting to her new body. Give it time and you won't need me to translate for you. The Stagraven tongue was all I knew for hundreds of years before developing my Dragonic enough to the point that I could communicate with others fairly well._**'

"_Stagraven, so that is what it's called. Could we teach Dragonic to Arxa again? Just like teaching a hatchling how to hunt?_"

'**_I have an idea of who we could get to teach it to her. I'm sure the blood hatchling would be thrilled with getting to spend time with her_**,' Zagnoth remarked with a frustrated snort.

"_What do you mean? Wouldn't Arxa react better to you teaching her?_" Narssia inquired, confused as to why her father would suggest having Nuri instruct Arxa when he was still a hatchling.

'**_You don't see it, do you? Nurus has feelings for Axsanu. It's one of the reasons why I had him watch her when we left. I-_**'

Baring her teeth, Narssia let a low snarl ripple past her jaws as she clenched them. "_You would let my son, your grandson, go through the pain of losing the one they loved! Why? He has done you no wrong, Father!_"

'**_I am not going to defend my meaning for doing such, Nuodasis. It would be wise to return to Nurus_**,' Zagnoth remarked softly before adding after a moment, '**_While I sense you are concerned over why the former traitor and lover of Saconith-ti is held down here but I can honestly say I do not know what punishment she has earned to be relocated in this barren place. It is not our duty to question such, my child._**'

'_Ne ri . . ._' Arxa whispered, staring at the dark corridor they would have to travel into to return to the surface.

"_The dark. You're afraid of the dark? Arxa, we will be right beside you the whole way back home_," Narssia commented as she realized the phrase her sister had been muttering over and over sounded to her very much like the name of her gifted offspring Nuri.

Finally convincing Arxa to follow after Zagnoth as he left the underground chamber and returned to the snowy surface, Narssia stayed behind her sibling as the restored dragoness moved uneasily on ground that was slick with ice. She wanted to help her as the gray dragoness trembled and nearly slid into a wall, her claws seemingly unable to find a good grip on the weather-coated floor. Hesitant talons reached for the broken she-dragon before her but she stopped herself as a soft growl of defiance rose from her sister and starlit wings spread out to steady herself.

Reaching the open space that had been the main room once, Narssia watched as Zagnoth lifted his four wings and quickly climbed into the bitter air as snowy limited visibility and Arxa's gray scales threatened to blend in with the bleak environment. Lifting her snout, black fire blazed from her jaws for a moment before she noticed her sister shrink back in fear and she quelled the flames before joining her father in the sky. Circling around, she dove towards the grounded dragoness and motioned her to use her wings but was snarled at as amethyst irises stared widely at her in terror.

"_Father, would you be willing to use that levitation you used on her earlier to get her to join us in the sky? She refuses to fly and I cannot say why she reacts in terror anytime I approach her with the purest intentions._" Narssia knew why Arxa refused to do anything with her and it nearly broke her heart to see her sister acting as if she had gone through great emotional trauma. She imagined the damage done to the she-dragon's psyche had left her scarred and it saddened her to know she had played a part in it.

There was no argument from Zagnoth as the gem in his chest glowed and Arxa was surrounded by the same amber light that had returned her to the body she now had again. A squeal of fright first left the dragoness before she closed her eyes and submitted herself to the transportation as the two dragons set off for the mainland to rejoin Nuri. It would be a warm welcome from her children, or so Narssia innocently believed as she was tried of having sleet and snow rain down on her wings.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes the Stagraven language does not exist in real life but I needed a way to get Arxa communicating differently than how we normally see. If anyone wants a direct translation of the lines, feel free to PM me or leave a review and I'll gladly send the translations. Things are heading to the endgame now and there is one particular part you should remember for a later chapter. <strong>


	83. Night

**Chapter 83-Night**

Nuri should have known things wouldn't work out quite as he had planned as he ventured into one of the larger rooms in the Compound and saw the area already nearly full of dragons who had gathered to decide the next leader of their kind. It was only a select few that were there for the reason he had originally set up the gathering and most of those were the remaining children of Narssia who had told him they would come to support him. While he wasn't bothered by the lack of respect for the dragoness he had enjoyed spending time around, he was slightly disturbed when Sitedal approached him and informed him that Jormundur had made a surprise visit to complain about honoring a dragon that had never done anything worth celebrating. He realized he should have expected complications with his vision but he hadn't thought they would come from a sibling that was already deceased.

As he mingled with other dragons and tried to avoid Jormundur's ghost as it lingered and mocked him, Nuri slowly felt the first signs that he was needing to feed as his jaws tingled unpleasantly and a dull ache resounded in the back of his head. He had found some poor wildlife to drain before coming to the event but apparently it hadn't been enough to satisfy him completely. Slipping past a group of earth dragons discussing a matter of environmental concern, he headed straight for Sitedal as he knew his older brother would be able to help him survive long enough to make it through the night without killing anyone. The dull ache in his head pounded softly as he caught up to the fear dragon and sat down beside him, shaking his head slowly as he wished he could drown out the noise around him.

"_You're not enjoying this?_" Sitedal asked casually before realizing the reason Nuri had sought him out specifically, lowering his voice as he added, "_I thought you had told me you fed before coming. Isn't it supposed to last you for a few hours?_"

"_It is supposed to_," Nuri hissed as he felt the discomfort in his jaws increase slightly, wishing he had never said anything to Sitedal about starting the event now. "_It depends on how stressed out I am that determines the frequency I have to hunt. I had brought down a full sized deer though but I guess it wasn't enough with all the activity that has been going on. Any idea when Mother is going to get back?_"

He had felt sorrow when Arxa had grown cold but he had heard from Zagnoth soon after that the transfer had been a success and that she was back in her original body. Twitching the end of his tail as he noticed Seraphina somberly walk across the room to greet Aurelia and a swaddled-up Nathaniel in her arms, he clenched his teeth as he picked up on the infant's heartbeat and the warm blood running through his veins. A clawed forepaw soon touched his shoulder and he turned his head to see Verdra leaned in and nuzzled him, remarking that she was proud of him for wanting to do something to honor Arxa's memory.

"_Thanks_," he muttered absentmindedly as he blinked and glanced around the room to see Ryta and Reath engaged in a heated conversation.

Suspecting for a while now that his sister had been thinking of deepening her friendship with the fire dragon, he was pleasantly surprised to see the two so close to each other and a soft hum of contentment echoed from his throat before he continued his observations around the packed space. He and Sitedal were sitting along one of the walls and as he glanced across to the opposite wall, he saw a small dragoness he had never seen before along with a regal starlit dragon as the two walked side by side briskly through the crowd. Catching a brief glimpse of an amethyst iris and an elongated gray snout peeking out past the much larger male, Nuri reasoned it was a female before he soon lost sight of the scale-fliers as they disappeared into the collection of dragons present.

Deciding after a moment he would follow after the strange dragoness he had seen, he left his brother and wandered through the crowd. His hearing was sharpened because of his hunger and he heard one she-dragon as he past grumble to the friend she had come with that they were in attendance to honor some sadistic nobody that had nearly started a full-scale war. Knowing he shouldn't have been riffled up by the remark but giving in to his rising temper, he turned to face the creature in question that had spoken with her comrade and bared his fangs as his eyes flickered black for half a second. Teeth elongating as he snarled and moved to strike her neck on instinct to quell his need for nourishment, he stopped himself as he caught the scent of an open wound somewhere else in the room.

Ignoring the calmness he had displayed during the event so far, he ran for the nearest exit and entered into a small hallway as he turned and pressed his head into the cool rock wall beside him. Coming back to the Compound had been a bad idea, he reasoned as he felt his elongated teeth refuse to relax and return to normal. Slamming a forepaw into the soft ground next to the wall in anger, he growled softly at himself for his actions and realized he would be better off to never go into an area with several dragons present ever again. While chiding himself for how foolish he had acted, he heard footsteps coming up from his left side and he moved his body to let the individual pass, only to hear them stop. Lifting his head as he shook dirt from his snout, he saw the dragon in question that had approached him was the scale-flier he had noticed in the main area.

Even though the lighting was dim in the narrow hallway, he could see her scales were dark gray and her amethyst irises gleamed in curiosity towards him as he noticed she had not backed away while he was unable to control the raging bloodlust within him. Taking a step towards her, he saw in her eyes that his eyes were completely black and his teeth - fangs, actually - glistened with saliva. He was surprised she wasn't repulsed by him but something about her seemed oddly familar the more he looked at her.

'**_Daughter, where are thou? I told thou to stay by my side . . ._**' The voice confirmed it as Nuri heard Zagnoth's deep voice echo off the walls and reveal to him that he was seeing the new form of Arxa for the very first time.

"_Arxa?_" He whispered in questioning, wishing he could control his desire to feed so she could see his eyes and not the black pools of a hungry blood dragon seeking a quick meal.

'_Ne ri?_' Amethyst eyes fluttered with brief panic before Nuri noticed her focus more keenly on him.

"_You know my name? Arxa, do you remember me? Nurus, the blood dragon that you first showed kindness to at a time all others loathed you . . Do you remember that?_"

Her eyes widened in fear as he heard Zagnoth called out for her again and he gently lifted a forepaw as she shrunk back, whimpering as though he was going to hurt her. Taking a step back as her behavior was the exact opposite of what he thought she would have done, Nuri was confused as he saw the hurt and the panic in her eyes tell a completely different story from the powerful fearless dragoness he had known.

"_What happened to you? Why are you scared of me? Arxa, talk to me, please. I just want to help you_," he whispered, lowering his head and his risen foreleg as she crouched and quivered severely.

'_Ne ri! Agh, zi qe nu vih su!_' Arxa's voice shook as she backed up, hitting her tail against a wall as she crouched as far down as she could go to avoid contact with him.

Nuri shook his head, not understanding her terrified Stagraven words. "_Speak to me, Arxa. I can't understand your words if you use your panic to distort them._"

'**_Her words are the truth, blood hatchling. Axsanu is lost in memories of my betrayal of her when I forced her into your mother's mind._**' The coarse voice told him immediately it was Zagnoth and he retreated a few steps at seeing the regal deity approach in his new form.

"_I thought you fixed her. You were supposed to help her! The state Arxa is in now is **not **any better than the dying corpse I watched over. She is far worse now than she ever was and I have you to thank for that, Corruption._" Lifting his head, he narrowed his eyes and lunged at the larger dragon, only to get pinned against a wall by one of his grandfather's impressive wings.

Turquoise eyes looked him over in disgust as he snarled and tried to move as the starlit appendage stayed where it was without even the smallest quiver of movement. '**_I see your need to feed has consumed you. I can smell the taint of blood on your breath and I suspect your jaws are tingling, wanting to get at my throat and drain every last drop of my life energy from me. That will not happen - nor will you attack Axsanu in her defenseless state. Her panic and fear override any other emotion at this point and-_**'

"_Because her own monster of a father ripped her from the life she had and threw her into eternal bondage, trapped in the mind of her own sister! What parent does that to their own flesh-and-blood, Zagnoth? Did Arxa even have a choice before you took everything from her and ruined her entire existence?_"

'_Tfr! Tfr sqa! Rni zi boq Qom . . ._'

'**_Vre'jo? Ne Qom sikua agh qu'ceh ymu sliku xa ki . . ._**'Zagnoth growled darkly at Arxa in reply as he focused his eyes on Nuri and the hatchling shrieked, feeling as though his heart was being clenched by powerful jaws that threatened to snap shut and kill him where he hung pinned against a wall.

Arxa shuddered quietly as she rose, her eyes flickering a murky yellow as a thin sheet of ice coated Zagnoth's outstretched wing. Nuri noticed her body shaking and he reasoned it was from fear but he gradually saw a dim amber light dart over her scales before she stepped forward and roared with all her might in challenge to her father. Her outburst was quickly contained by the deity as he forced her back with a snarl that nearly sent her cowering again.

Finding her voice as a soft whimper left her, Arxa hesitantly took a step towards her father and Nuri before pausing and staring wide-eyes at him as if a revelation had come over her. '**Shiga'roku . . .**'

'**_How dare you speak his name in Stagraven! He means nothing to you now! Remember the nothingness you were in once? I can put you right back into that place if you continue to interfere!_**' Irises blazing with anger, Zagnoth lifted his free wing and Arxa cowered, shrinking away from him and pressing herself tightly against the wall behind her in fear.

"_This is why Arxa flinches away any time a dragon even so much as looks at her. You ruined her!_" Nuri growled as the ice around Zagnoth's wing thawed quickly with no further accumulation to keep it cooled down.

Zagnoth hesitated for a moment before moving his wing back to rest against his side and released Nuri from being trapped against the wall. The blood dragon was relieved to be free of his confinement but was concerned for Arxa as the ancient dragon turned to her and growled softly. He wasn't sure if her life was in further danger but, from what he had seen, any form of relationship between the two was forever damaged by something that had happened which had left the dragoness so emotionally unstable to the point she could barely handle being around other scale-fliers.

"_Zagnoth, I . . ._" Nuri started to stammer, unable to find the words he wanted to speak as Arxa hid her face from the regal beast before her and trembled as if expecting some physical punishment for her actions.

'**_Axsanu, I know my very presence frightens thou but please understand that I reacted on instinct when I lashed out at the blood hatchling. I never meant to harm thou and I got caught up in the heat of the moment. Those moments that thou remembers . . . I was a much darker creature back then._**' Zagnoth paused for a moment before turning his attention to Nuri directly, '**_Go back and enjoy the celebration. The dragon thou once knew is no more and never shall be again. All she once had is now in ruin because of mislead choices and residual darkness._**'

Turning to walk away, ignoring the hunger that still dominated his current appearance, Nuri waited a moment to hear Arxa sniffle before he lowered his head and sighed. "_I loved her once_," he admitted softly as he started to return back into a room that would be too much temptation for him. "_The Arxa I knew had no fear and this broken dragoness before me will never be that strong. If she will forever retain the damaged persona that I see before me, then I have no choice but to distance myself from her._"

* * *

><p>As Nuri walked away, Zagnoth could tell Arxa seemed to draw tighter into herself as she closed her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek. He knew the destruction the blood hatchling would leave in its wake and he realized he had made the right choice by allowing Narssia's son to distance himself from them. It was too late to contain the vicious ferocity of an emotionally distraught dragon and he would let the consequences happen without involvement. The sound of panicked shrieks soon graced his hearing and he resisted the urge to join in the bloodshed as he glanced at his daughter to see her small body shaking.<p>

'_Ki voa ze'n xa su!_' Her voice was quivering as she hissed the words at him, squeezing her eyes shut tighter as she clenched at the loose dirt under her foreclaws.

'**_You think I wanted to do this to you? I had no choice, Axsanu. There was no way I could handle the strain of keeping three separate consciousness alive for thousands of years with my energy depleted from the curse Aker bestowed upon_ _me_**_,'_ Zagnoth snapped back, echoing the words to her in Stagraven as he fluttered his wings and lowered his head to nudge her back gently. '**_I would do anything to protect you . . ._**'

'_Vre'jo? Ki siq su umn xam ri'roga! Ki syve su_,' Arxa trembled as she spoke, losing any sense of bravery she had as his snout graced the scales on her back and she pressed tighter against the wall she lay beside.

'**_I did not abandon thou, Axsanu. Nuodasis was there to help thou learn and adjust. I had to ensure that Cilous was doing fine as well._**'

'_Ki jop su xa w'ven xe riy ahn! Ki eri xe . . . ri dusa._'

Zagnoth lifted his head slightly, looking over her as he realized what Nurus had said was true. He had been a horrible father to Axsanu and it had left her this broken dragoness he saw before him. While Nuodasis had played a part in breaking her strong psyche, he had done the irreversible damage when he had stripped her of her body and thrown her into her sister's mind without a second thought. The sounds of dragons dying briefly caught his attention and he sighed, knowing that he had also done damage to the blood hatchling by having shown up with Arxa in her fragile emotional state.

'**_Axsanu, I . . ._**'

"_Zagnoth!_" Narssia's high pitched shriek echoed off the walls as she hurriedly limped towards them from the direction of the main area where Nuri was lost in a frenzy. "_What did you say to Nuri? Everything is in ruins now. Dragons are dead and the body count grows higher each minute. I barely managed to get Aurelia and Seraphina out of there before he tried to rip my leg off. That beast in there is **not **my son anymore. What did you do?_"

Turning to face her as her eyes flickered with rage, Zagnoth was smacked with a clawed forepaw as her talons grazed his glossy scales. Arxa cowered in fright at seeing the dragoness that haunted her memories and a small squeak escaped her jaws. Not sure which she-dragon to face first, the deity retreated from his enraged daughter a few steps before trying to explain what had happened.

Narssia seemed to calm down, sitting on the ground as she licked her foreclaws and listened to hm defend his actions that had caused Nuri to unleash the inner monster within his young body. "_So my son went on a frenzy because you told him Arxa will never get better, is that what I just heard? Based on what you told me earlier, he loved her and now he's thrown all that away to become a murderous killer._" Turning her attention to Arxa, she continued, "_Sister, come. I will show you the monster the dragon you once loved truly is. Put aside your fear and follow me to see the destruction Nurus has caused._"

Arxa hesitated for a moment then rose on shaky legs, avoiding either dragon's gaze as she went past Narssia and into the room where Nuri had lost all control. Furious growls rippled through the air before a terrified squeak told Zagnoth that the blood dragon and seen her and was going to make her one final victim of his rage.

'**_Are you going to let him kill her? Is that your plan, Nuodasis?_**' Zagnoth snarled bitterly before he caught the sound of another voice from inside the room.

"_Brother, do not lay a single talon on her. I know you are furious at both her and our grandfather but do not see her as yet another target in this mad game of revenge you are playing_," Sitedal growled softly as Zagnoth and Narssia walked to the edge of the tunnel to see inside the room and watch the conflict between brothers.

* * *

><p>Blood smeared over the dirt walls as the bodies of dead dragons lay tattered throughout the room. Sitedal and Nuri circled each other, the blood dragon snapping at him any time he ventured a little too close. He was surprised he hadn't been attacked yet but he suspected it was because his younger sibling knew deep down who it was that stood opposing him. Stepping over a deceased dragon whose neck had been ripped to shreds, he briefly saw Arxa lingering just a few steps away, shaking in fear of the rampage Nurus had gone on and he put the thought from his mind as another snap by the enraged hatchling redirected his attention. White fangs stained pink parted as a vengeful roar left the blood hatchling before he lunged at his fear-wielding older brother, only for the tempered scale-flier to sidestep the attack and turn to face him calmly.<p>

"_Now, now, brother. There are younglings in the room. You wouldn't want them to be forever scarred by the destruction you left, would you?_' Sitedal knew he would get no where if he tried to fight him and so he reasoned he would try to talk down his enraged sibling, at least while Arxa was still inside the room.

"_The only young one in this room is the very dragon I want to rip limb from limb!_" Nuri snarled in response and Sitedal sighed, retreating a few steps as he put distance between them.

"_Yes, I know that but you must realize these feelings are not doing you any good. Brother, you killed innocents-_"

"_They chose to stand in my way! Who was it that mocked her death? Who was the one that took her from me and changed her into a completely different dragoness?_" Nuri roared, lifting a wing at flaring it towards her for further emphasis. "_She is **not **the Arxa I knew and loved! I look in her eyes and see nothing but fear, brother. Fear from a dragoness that knew none previously. That deity, our grandfather, screwed her up so badly she's nothing more than a walking basket case._"

Taking another step back as he was surprised by the venom in Nuri's tone, Sitedal tried to collect himself as his brother's talons gleamed red from the blood staining the ground. "_You loved her? She is Mother's sister and our aunt, Nuri!_"

"_I didn't care back then and I care even less now! She can't even speak in our own language. What monster has that much of an impact on its child to leave her so damaged that she forgets all the things that made her happy? Arxa was happy with me and now she's a bundle of emotions and broken words . . ._"

Nurus lunged at Sitedal again, being smacked by his brother's tail as the older dragon flared its wings and pushed him back with physical force before growling, "_I will not fight you. That being said, I will do everything in my power to keep Arxa safe from you. She deserves a chance to grow and learn, the same chance you denied many of the dragons around you._"

Another furious snarl rippled from Nuri's throat as the hatchling stepped down on a descended dragon's tail and lowered his head, snapping the appendage away from its owner's body before throwing it at Sitedal. Disturbed by the sight of an oozing formerly blue tail land right before him, he narrowed his eyes and spat a burst of red energy at the enraged hatchling. Seizing upon the moment as the blood dragon tried to avoid the glowing sphere, he followed up the attack by inhaling quickly before he let loose a scream that echoed with the damaging power of his element. Broken forms tumbled over the moist dirt floor as the rush of energy cleared the area of objects for them to use and he took a step back, pleased with himself for using his unnatural gift to turn the fight to his favor.

Nuri snarled as a few wisps of red energy clung to him and he spread both wings before rushing at Sitedal, knocking the older dragon to the floor as they fell back in a fury of claw swipes and snapping teeth. Their tails smacked into each other as he pinned his brother to the ground and drew back his head in triumph, revealing his elongated sharp teeth. Hearing Arxa shuffle forward a little bit, he growled and prepared to bite and end it all.

'_N-no . . . **NO**!_' Hard scales rammed into his side as Nuri lost his footing and collapsed next to Sitedal, eyes widening in shock at seeing Arxa fall onto his brother's exposed underbelly.

"_Arxa, did you . . . ? Did you just save me?_" Sitedal asked as she nodded her head softly and struggled to get back onto her feet.

"_You!_" Nuri growled, knocking her to the blood-covered dirt floor with a swipe of his tail as he lunged to his feet. "_You . . ._" Lowering his head, he trembled as his teeth retracted to their normal length and his eyes returned to the red irises that defined him as a dangerous dragon.

'**_Axsanu . . . Is she hurt?_**' Zagnoth questioned as he and Narssia entered, each glancing around the room before focusing on the three dragons in the center of the area.

"_I'm not sure. She might have some bruises but I think she'll be fine physically_," Sitedal informed them as he rolled onto his side and then gradually got to his feet, noticing Nuri sit down in the dirt. "_It's the emotional effects I'm worried about for her. As Nuri told me, she's raw and driven by her emotions now._"

"_Thank you for calming him down, son_," Narssia hummed softly as she nuzzled him and then limped over to the blood dragon, her words sharpening with resentful anger. "_You killed innocents, Nurus. Murdered them because you believed your relationship with Arxa was gone. That emotional outburst will likely have you-_"

"_We won't decide to kill him, Mother_," Sitedal assured her gently. "_I'll speak with the other dragons representing the vast elements present in the Compound and see what we can come up with but it will not be the penalty of death - even if he does deserve it for his crimes._"


End file.
